Sometimes we forget some of the important contributions made by those no longer a part of the community. Earl Nicholson was one of those people who deserve to be remembered for his efforts in preserving history that is so important today. As an accomplished artist, he preserved the images of many historic structures in the area and a large collection of his work is permanently mounted and can be viewed at the Grove City Welcome Center and Museum. Nicholson also did extensive research and played an important role in the creation of the Gardens at Gantz Farm, dug through historical records providing important names, dates and events about Grove City’s past. He also was involved in other community efforts including speaking at local schools. He served on Grove City council for a number of years and wrote a series of articles published in The Grove City Record.

Years before Grove City came into existence in 1852, the area had three manufacturing operations, all created by the town’s founder, William Foster Breck. Southwest Franklin County Historical Society archives state Breck established a brick plant in 1850 east of present-day St. John’s Lutheran church. He wanted Grove City to have modern brick or lumber constructed houses, no log cabins. About the same time, Breck opened a steam powered, double blade sawmill and a grist mill in the general area of the Grove City Library parking lot. There are also indications Breck was responsible for building the tavern, known today as Planks on Broadway. Before relocating to Jackson Township, Breck owned a large hotel, grain warehouse and general store all on the Ohio Erie Canal in Carroll, Ohio. He was also Carroll’s postmaster. Breck was killed at age 59 in a freak accident on his farm. The Lancaster Eagle Gazette reported Aug. 25, 1864 that his team of horses were startled and ran with him when he fell between the wagon and horses. One of the wheels passed over his neck, causing death almost instantly, the heart not ceasing to palpitate for 30 to 40 minutes. He did not speak, nor give any evidence of consciousness.

Emory Norris, an editor of The Grove City Record in the 1950s, said in an editorial, “What the future will bring to Grove City and all of Franklin County by 2050 can only be guessed at even by the most foreseeing planners. Hence, it would seem logical to suppose that Grove City will serve as one of the four principles administrative sub-centers for the metropolitan government to be. Farming will have almost disappeared from the county; city streets and boulevards will extend to the edges of the county and beyond.” Photo depicts a collection of historic photos and a 2026 calendar still available at the Grove City Welcome Center and Museum at a discounted price.

George M. Haughn was a one-term mayor of Grove City largely because he supported an income tax, something not popular at the time. But that effort, which caused his re-election defeat, laid the groundwork for much of the prosperity the city enjoys today. During his term of office, he created a charter revision committee to consider a city manager form of government and also was instrumental in the establishment of the Grove City Community Fair that grew into a five-day event at Windsor Park. Born in 1923, he once told of going to a dump site near St. John’s Lutheran Church looking for wood crates. He and friends put a roller skate under a piece of wood then they would skate down Park Street; long before skate boards were invented. Before his term as mayor, he served several years on city council.

Before his fame and fortune, one of Franklin County’s first millionaires frequented Grove City with his cure-all product that was eventually sold world-wide as Peruna. Dr. Sam B. Hartman frequently lodged at what we know today as Planks on Broadway offering his liquid remedy to local residents as a cure for Catarrh, an excessive discharge or buildup of mucus in the nose or throat. The popularity of his product provided Hartman with the means to create Ohio’s largest farm once located in the area of present-day Scioto Downs. The farm included a large dairy, hotel, general store, retail sales room for Hartman Farm Orchards; the farm even had its own street car line. In downtown Columbus, he eventually built his Peruna manufacturing plant, a large hospital and created the Hartman Theater, beside the Ohio Theatre.