Most residents have heard stories about the brick and tile factory once located behind St. John Lutheran Church but did you realize there was another facility that manufactured brick? Daniel Smith also had a brick factory north of Grove City Road on Elm Street according to research by Stephen L. Smith and the Rev. John Gray. Kenny Wade, pictured around 1915, stands on tile at his factory behind the church. He was a major supplier of water and sewage pipes for Franklin County.

Pure Oil gasoline stations were among some of the earliest located in Grove City. Arthur Brink’s station was known as the Owl’s Nest and he always had his dog with him at work. Virgil Bethard may have taken over that station on Broadway in 1937 switching from Pure to Sunoco Oil and Gasoline. Before that in 1932, Bill Neiswender had a Linco (Lincoln Oil and Refining Co.) station also on Broadway at Columbus Street.

It's a good thing Grove City High School’s athletic teams were called the Greyhounds when they moved into a new building in 1970 on Hoover Road. (The teams were originally known as the Crimson Tide.) Fortunately, there was no talk of renaming the school mascot especially since the high school site was once one of Ohio’s largest turkey farms. The picture shows the historic marker of the former high school at Sesquicentennial Park on Park Street.

In 1944, the Grove City Camera Club met at Devault's Restaurant on Broadway. Other early Broadway restaurants were operated by Lena Witteman Willing; Mamie Hill’s Restaurant near Jackson Alley and Broadway; Eddy’s Tap Room in the Miller Building in 1934; Albright’s Restaurant in 1930 operated by Luther Albright. Ice cream shops were also very popular. Some included: Trego’s Ice Cream Bar and Deli which was in the second store front on the west side of Broadway south of Park Street; Leech’s Ice Cream in the Willert Building on Broadway in 1934; and Fuhrman Homemade Quality Ice Cream, East Park Street, also in 1934. There were many others. How many can you name?

Have you listened to the account of Hugh Grant’s venture into Central Ohio? It’s an entertaining 17-minute fictional story mixed with bits of actual history told by a professional storyteller. Go to www.swfchs.org and click on Audio under the Media heading.