Treasuring the Stories of our Hometown Visionaries
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n May, we held a ceremony to This brings me to another officially open the Park Street interesting story in Grove City’s extension, now terminating history. A.G. Grant (Hugh Grant’s at Demorest Road to the west and grandson) was just 12 years old the entrance of Breck Communiwhen Breck platted Grove City. As ty Park. Originally named School he grew older, Grant became quite Street, Park Street connects much the businessman and by the age of our City’s history and some of of 24, had traveled to California my favorite local stories, starting to try his hand at goldmining and with the Grant-Sawyer Home to returned to continue operating a the east at Haughn Road. mercantile, a sawmill and other Six generations of one family enterprises. occupied the property, the first of By 1889, Grant added land dewhom was a widow named Cathvelopment to his business ventures arine Grant, who lived there with and, having obtained a significant her six children. Her husband, amount of land west of the turnHugh Grant Sr., moved his fampike, platted what became Grove ily to Ohio in 1805, and they are City’s first sub-division, the Beulah considered the original settlers Mayor Stage, standing in the recently renovated Relieffe Grant Addition. Historical documents of Jackson Township, acquir- barn at the Grant-Sawyer Home. indicate Grant intended the new ing approximately 400 acres in development area be its own town, the area that eventually became Grove something more. He built a home for named after his daughter Beulah Grant City. Grant suffered an untimely death his family along the turnpike, set aside Campbell. It’s interesting to think there within a year or so of arriving, and it 15¼ acres of land for his vision, plat- could have been two separate towns in was Catharine who persevered through ted 19 lots and named the village Grove the area that is now Grove City. unimaginable circumstances to create City by 1852. Our hometown history is filled the homestead of their dreams. Within a few short years, new fami- with stories like these. As we celI’m certain she could not have lies moved to the area, church congre- ebrate the 170th anniversary of Grove imagined their family would be the gations were formed and new business- City’s founding by William Foster start of something so significant. Over es arrived, including a brick and tile Breck in 1852, I encourage you to the next 40 years, at least 27 other fami- factory started by Breck. A hotel and sa- stop by our historical sites and the lies would settle in the area, including loon – now Plank’s on Broadway – was Grove City Welcome Center and MuWilliam Foster Breck (who founded built on the corner of Park Street and seum or visit the Southwest Franklin Grove City) and his wife, Elizabeth. the turnpike, which had been improved County Historical Society website at The Breck family moved here after ac- to gravel and logs as stagecoaches were www.grovecityohhistory.org to learn quiring 273 acres of land neighboring traveling the road more frequently. more. the Grant property. Elizabeth’s family Breck also donated land along Park We will announce additional anhad previously owned the property as Street where the first village school was niversary celebration events to be well as nearly 800 additional acres to built in 1853. held in September and look forward the west. Breck was said to have been a gen- to sharing more historic stories with At that time, Park Street was little erous man with a desire to grow and the community. more than a wide, cleared trail best improve the community. Unfortunately, traveled when dry or hardened by win- he did not live to see Grove City beter, and for the most part it ended at come a chartered village in 1866 as he the Columbus and Harrisburg Turn- had an accident that caused his untimepike (U.S. 62/Broadway). But Breck saw ly death just two years before. Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage
6 July/August 2022
www.DiscoverGroveCity.com
