The city of Grove City hosted a variety of history-focused programs from Sept. 9 through Sept. 17 to celebrate the 170th anniversary of its founding. The festivities kicked off at the Grant-Sawyer Home on Haughn Road, which is listed on the national registrar of historic places by the U.S. Department of the Interior. In attendance at the event was local actor Glen Garcia (pictured above), who was portraying the city’s founder, William Foster Breck. Breck and his wife, Elizabeth Smith, moved to the township in 1845 to fulfill his life-long dream of creating a prosperous new town on the outskirts of Columbus. Over the course of seven years, Breck cleared most of the vast forest land and helped create new businesses and establish and expand roads and thoroughfares – all of which are still being driven on to this day. Present-day Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage said the city owes William Foster Breck and contemporaries such as A.G. Grant a “debt of gratitude” for planting the seeds of what is the city of Grove City today. In addition to the kick-off celebration held on Sept. 9 at the Grant-Sawyer Home, history-focused events were held at the Southwest Franklin County Historical Society and Welcome Center Museum and the Gardens at Gantz Park. The 10-day festivities also included speaking engagements from state representative Laura Lanese, local author Janet Shailer, and a bike tour of the city with Heritage Bikes.
