The stately 17-room brick house at Broadway and Lotz Drive was once the El Nor Inn. Glen and Flossie Lotz purchase the property in 1938 making it their home and after the family was raised Flossie opened a boarding house for long-term residents and men working at Beulah Park. She is remembered for her evening meals and open kitchen policy. Her kitchen rule was if you make a mess, you clean it up.

No, this wasn’t a firing squad but it was some type of competition in the early days of Grove City. Competitive rifle and pistol matches were common and turkey shoots were frequent. Photo from Virgil Bethard collection.

The Harrisburg Homecoming parade in 1949 depicted the early settlement of the community that dates to 1836 when the settlement was first known as Harrisburgh.

Parades have always been popular events in Southwest Franklin County and this 1935 entry earned a first place in Grove City. Marveen McKiney is poised as the Statue of Liberty, James Redman, partially hidden at left was decked out at Uncle Sam and Marjorie McKiney was seated at Betsy Ross. The entry was Carrie Miller’s class at Grove City High School.

The Orders Road School at Century Village in Fryer Park stands today much to the efforts of the late Ray Easley. In 1988, the city purchased the Fryer Farm with plans to tear down the old school building but Easley approached city council with plans to restore the building as a historic landmark. Marilyn Gibboney, then president of the Southwest Franklin County Historical Society became involved, writing an article in The Grove City Record that encouraged others to join the effort. Restoration proved to be a challenge because a portion of the brick structure had been removed to install a garage door. Finding brick to match the building was an issue until Marilyn Wright offered the old Walnut Grove School building on her property as a source of matching brick. Mayor Cheryl Grossman had the city tear down the Walnut Grove building and volunteers cleaned more than 13,000 bricks for the Orders School restoration project. The Grove City Lumber Yard donated new window frames and the Grove City High School Industrial Arts class built desks, benches and installed a new roof. In 2003, the school was dedicated and an Ohio Historical Marker, donated by Edna Wade Taylor, was unveiled.