Grove City became a village just a few years before the Civil War. Several men from the small settlement joined military units formed in Columbus. Many men in the Union Army were introduced to a new soap and they continued to use it after the war. In 1878, that product was given a name, Ivory. It was much better than the lye soap commonly used at the time.

The Dairy Queen on Southwest Boulevard occupies the site as one of the early hamburger joints, the BBF, properly named the Burger Boy FOOD-O-RAMA. After the BBF closed, Borden Milk Company’s Elsie the Cow took over the building introducing the Borden Burger chain of restaurants. Notice to BBF ashtray; diners were allowed to smoke inside the building.

Besides farming topics at a Grange Meeting in 1899, members heard a talk about snakes and another discussion on women’s rights.

It’s hard to imagine today but in 1970 this photo shows I-270 at Georgesville Road before it opened to traffic. That’s where the auto mall and a large shopping district is located today.

Jackson Township had rich soil when the first settlers arrived but the soil was damp requiring drainage so land could be farmed. That’s why the first factory in Grove City manufactured clay drainage tile and brick. The clay pit would freeze over in the winter months and residents cut blocks of ice from the surface and stored it in an ice house using hay for insulation. It was also one of the clay pits where Mastodon tusks were found. The tile factory was located behind St. John’s Lutheran Church.