Listed
below is the year by year record of the growth of Grove City (Pine Grove).
1830
First Public School built
1833
First store built with William Fleming
the first store keeper.
1838
First tannery built by Hirman C. White
1844
First Post Office established with name “WOLF CREEK”. It was the same
year that Pine Grove was laid out by Charles and J.
Glenn Cunningham.
1848
First wagon shop built by J. M. Hunter
1851
Furniture and undertaking firm of James
H. Black started
1853
Tannery built by W. A. Young on the east bank
of Wolf Creek.
1854
J. Glenn Cunningham builds home, known today
as Cunningham Hall located on the campus of Grove City College near Wolf
Creek.
1870
Montgomery Broom Co. started
1872
Pittsburgh, Shenango and Lake Erie Railroad reaches Pine Grove.
1876
School organized by Isaac Ketler, which in
1879 was granted a charter known then as Pine Grove Normal Academy, now
Grove City College.
1876
McKay Carriage Works established.
A
Special Section is devoted to this firm, which survived two disastrous
fires in Grove City, under date 1897.
1878
Porter and Emery Pottery opened. A brick
building of First Presbyterian Church built at Main and Broad Streets.
This church was torn down but the rear still stands, the present home of
the Grove City American Legion.
1879
First Bakery opened by George Atkinson
1879
Stave mill operated by Charles Fithian
1880
First coal mine opened in district
1881
W. A. Young and W. V.
Young opened a harness shop on what now is college campus.
1882
First Bank established with A. W. Gealy as
president. It was this bank building that stopped the great fire 1890 from
spreading south of the business district.
1882
First newspaper, Pine Grove Telephone, started by J.
Borland.
1883
Borough of Grove City was incorporated Jan. 4 with R.
B. Welsh as the first burgess. First council meeting held Feb. 26
in
Morrow
carriage shop with the following members present: R.
S. Coulter, C. L. Fithian, J. W. McMillin, D. W. Morrow, and A. B. McKay.
R. C. Craig elected to act as secretary of council.
In
1883 when a charter of incorporation was secured constituting the village
a borough, at the suggestion of J. T. Blair,
General Manager of the Pittsburgh, Shenango & Lake Erie Railroad,
the citizens of the place voted to change the name of Pine Grove to Grove
City. The change was made in order that the postoffice and borough might
have the same name, there being another Pine Grove in Pennsylvania.
With
the facilities for shipping provided by the introduction of a railroad, a
number of coal mines were opened up in the vicinity, the entire country
being underlaid with large and valuable veins of coal. Soon Grove City
became a good trading point for the farmers of a large scope of country,
and the general thrift and business enterprise of the place attracted a
good many people who came to make it a permanent place of residence and
business.
1888
Union Heat & Light Company formed
1888
Tin Shop of Rhodes and Reynolds, later Redmond
Company opened
1890
Great Fire of 1890 destroys Broad Street
homes and businesses
1891
C. F. Lawrence bought Grove City Telephone
and name it Grove City Reporter
1895
Dr. Isaac C. Ketler elected president of
Grove City College
1897
McKay Carriage Works destroyed by fire
1898
South End of Business Section Destroyed by Fire
1898
Contract let for construction of first water plant.
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