The first school in Grove City was an existing log structure located on Lot 32 at School Street (Park Street) and Alley #2 (Arbutus Avenue), according to research by Faye Morland in her book, Epoch of the Park Street School. A new wood frame structure was built on the site around 1862 and replaced in 1888 by a brick, two story school. A three-year high school curriculum was offered at the Park Street School around 1893 and three years later, the first graduation class was all girls, as shown. By 1908, an issue over a Presbyterian or Methodist prayer caused a community uproar just before a commencement service. The school board wanted to hold the ceremony at Adam Grant’s auditorium but he initially refused because he wanted a “good old Methodist prayer” so the board made plans to hold the commencement at the Presbyterian Church. Grant backed down and allowed the school board to used his auditorium with a Presbyterian sermon and prayer.

The Concord Chapel Animal Hospital at the corner of 665 and Hoover Rd resembles a church and there’s good reason…it once was. Concord Chapel’s congregation, once a Methodist Episcopal Church, dates to 1847 and was built at a cost of $1,800, according to the files of the Southwest Franklin County Historical Society. That makes it one of the oldest organized churches in Jackson Township. In the early 1800s, the church had a “pew board” that separated seating inside the church requiring men to sit on one side and women and children on the other. It was also common to have two entrances, one for men and another for women but that might not have been the case at Concord. Sometime around 1907, members of the church purchase their first bell which remained in the steeple until 1990 when it was removed because of safety concerns. Martin Addy provided the equipment to remove the bell assisted by Rick Weber and Jeff Wellman. It has since been moved to a permanent site at Century Village.

One hundred and twenty-seven years ago, two 12-foot tusks were unearthed in Grove City in a pit where a company manufactured clay tile. A partial skull and teeth were also found. The remains were identified as a Mastodon by a professor from the Ohio State University but an examination of the photo might indicate the find was misidentified, instead being a Mammoth. [Note the shovel in upper left for size comparison.] Mastodon tusks have a slight curve; the Mammoth tusk has a more dramatic curve. The find was uncovered in an area behind St. John’s Lutheran Church on Columbus Street. What do you think, Mastodon or Mammoth? Source: A History of Grove City, Ohio

Gary Burley, of Urbancrest, is an alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh where he played defensive lineman. He attended Grove City High School and Brookpark Middle School. Burley was a 1975 round three pick in the National Football League draft.

Looking to the south, the Texaco sign is the corner of Grove City Road and Broadway, where the Town Center gazebo is today. The buildings on the left once occupied the landscape where the municipal building currently stands.