Original home to 13 sleeping rooms, 2 toilet rooms, a tub room, and a shower room, the second floor, which is handicap accessible, now houses rooms designed to serve specific topics of community interest. As we receive new accessions, these rooms are always changing and will never be complete. Join the journey…
Our historical society is currently housed in the building previously occupied by the Travelers Hotel. This room is a replica of the accommodations a guest of The Travelers Hotel would enjoy upon their arrival. The 1920’s bedroom furniture has beautifully preserved wood tones, and the bed is covered with a lovely quilt, begging the visitor to climb in. The room has a sink, complete with combs, brushes, shaving supplies, and soap but to bathe or use a rest room, the guest would travel down the hall to use the communal bathroom amenities. Look closely when visiting to find the crock which would be filled with hot water and placed under the bed coverings to warm the bed for a comfy night’s sleep.
In the Church Room are ink sketches, done by The Rev. William Bovard, of all the current and past churches in the Grove City area through the 1990’s. The stained glass window and the podium were donated to the society by East Main Presbyterian Church. This podium is believed to have come from he town’s first Presbyterian Church. Church histories and pictorial directories are housed here.
Mostly gone, but worthy of remembering, the memorabilia in this room is a reminder of what was business as usual in Grove City from when the streets were covered with dirt to present day. Leather & harness shops, meat markets that used a lot of ice, boarding houses, carriage shops, dairies, creameries, and haberdashers were the fore-runners of the names from a later time like Twin Kiss, Candyland, Burdick’s, Book & Davis, Palmer Smith, Murphy’s, and many more. Visit the Business Time Machine.
Housed here is memorabilia from the Civil War to the present. The Civil War diary of Ranals Craig, one of Grove City’s founding fathers is found here as well as an array of medals.
This room tells a pictorial history of the community through pictures of her treasured houses.
Information from various service clubs, women’s clubs, arts’ clubs, fraternal clubs, Plaidettes, Grove City firemen, Grove City police and much more is housed in this room.2 filing cabinets are filled with additional information on various clubs plus information fromGrove City’s Golden Jubilee, Sesquicentennial, and Bicentennial along with some general Grove City history.
Major industry has often found a home in Grove City. Although this room focuses heavily on Cooper Bessemer (Cooper Industries) and General Electric, the evidence of many other industries find a home here. There is a wonderful collection of instructional frames, donated from the collection of Robert Humphreys of Houston, Texas, dealing with the history of “The Bessemer”, where a large percentage of the area’s work force was employed.
From 1-room schools to Grove City Area School District, this room is packed with memories and information. Files organized by class year make finding class reunion photos and class-specific information easy. A locker from the “old” high school has many editions of the school newspaper, The Grover Star, and other student publications. The 3 school desks came from local 1-room schools and in the overhead cabinets are lights from both Central and Lincoln Schools.
Designed to replicate the office of Isaac Ketler, Founder/President of the College and his son, Weir Ketler, the office houses artifacts, portraits, and memorabilia from the college. The white suit on the mannequin was worn by Dr. Weir Ketler. This room is curated by students from the college under the direction of their archivist.
In the Sports Room you will find: biographies of GC athletes and coaches who have been inducted into the Mercer County Athletic Hall of Fame (the oldest local hall of fame in the world!); pictures of GCHS and GCC football and basketball teams dating from the early 1900’s; old sports equipment; a photograph of Vic Hughes, considered by many to be the father of GC Little League baseball. This is just a small sample of the memorabilia, pictures, and information in our Sports Room. Stop in to see the rest!!
The walls are barn siding. The murals depict country life. The implements represent a day gone by and underscore the importance of technological advancement. Don’t touch the bear trap!
Boy Scouting surfaces in Grove City history as early as 1919, and Girl Scouting in 1932. In this hall are pictures, badges, and uniforms worn by the youngsters in their pursuit of the scouting objectives of truth and fairness.
Curated lovingly by Dr. Betty Jo White, the room merges the history of two hospitals that serviced Grove City from the early 1900’s to 1978. A visitor can easily come to appreciate the advances made in medicine as they experience its early history in Grove City.
Take a look back in time at the toys of a day gone by, the usual and the unusual.
Tickle the fancy; open the drawers. Find everything from pantaloons to crinolines, a unique mixture of clothing from pre 1900 to the present. There’s a bridesmaid’s dress made from the WWII parachute of the groom, a mourning dress worn by Matilda Ketler, the wife of Isaac Ketler, and a wedding dress that’s over a 100 years old.
