Grove City’s Four Newspapers

Four newspapers have served Grove City and Southwest Franklin County. The Grove City Blade (1894-1898) was the first. When L. E. Parsons began his newspaper, he offered a free one-year subscription to the person who brought the largest ears of corn to his office. In 1895, he reported horse races were being held on a half-mile track, 65-feet wide owned by the White family and by 1897 he wrote about a new pipe organ at St. John’s saying its chimes could be heard for miles from its steeple. After seven years with no local newspaper, The Grove City News (1905-1910) served the community but little is known about that publication. It would be another 16 years before C. Carl Williams and his brother, Henry, arrived in Grove City to open their publishing firm, The Grove City Record. Both men had prior newspaper experience in Mt. Sterling. An interesting turn of events occurred in 1970 that involved a new restaurant at Westland Mall. The advertisement read: “Best Damn Hamburgers in Town.” By today’s standards it would be no concern but it caused an uproar with readers. Williams said the office telephone rang constantly from morning until mid-afternoon. In the next edition, he and the advertising agency expressed an apology for reader concerns. The ad for The Fatted Café was changed in the next issue to “Best Darn Hamburgers in Town” and there were no complaints. William’s company also owned The Skyhawk, a weekly newspaper at Lockbourne AFB, a series of all advertising publications under the name of Shopper Times and The Fair Times. He also published the Lions Roar, a newspaper for the Grove City Kiwana’s Club and a newspaper for a World War I veterans’ organization. The Record was the primary news source in the community until Earle F. Moore, owner of the Columbus Messenger Company, expanded his operation into Grove City much at the insistence of Grove City resident Ray Stark. The Record was absorbed into the Dispatch family of ThisWeek publications and eventually discontinued. The Messenger still publishes every other week.