Horse drawn carriages and wagons were once the most common means of transportation in Southwest Franklin County. Here, the Ralph Thomas family is dressed and headed to church. Ralph is at left and the children, Margaret and Rush are seated in the carriage. Note the carriage was equipped with a kerosene lantern mount on the buggy for night travel.

With the America250 celebration well underway, the Society has a number of events coming up this spring. Check out our Events page to keep up with all that’s going on!
SWFCHS Events Page

Anyone remember the long stem red roses and red carnations given away during the Grove City Community Parades (now the Arts in the Alley Parade) in the 1990s? In case you don’t remember, it was the idea of Greg Skinner, then owner of Roxainne’s Flowers and Gifts. Do you recall his “pony tail” baseball cap that turned heads?

Ellen Walker Craig was the first African-American woman elected mayor of a municipality in the United States. That village, Urbancrest, is the northern neighbor of Grove City. After taking office in 1972, she spent hours on community projects, one of her most significant was a sewer and water project for village residents.

Little Pennsylvania Cemetery at Darbydale is located north of London-Groveport Road not far from Trapper John’s. It’s probably one of the oldest cemeteries in Southwest Franklin County. The oldest tombstone remembers William G. Borland, born in 1811 and died in 1834, just 18 years before Grove City was established.