#toursday

The Get Up Kids are going for a short tour with PUP and Restoration in March.

The dates are as listed:

March 24 - The Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, OH March 25 - Waiting Room, Buffalo, NY March 26 - Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA March 27 - Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ March 28 - The Paramount, Huntington, NY March 29 - The Met, Pawtucket, RI

Grove City

Grove City is a self-made community created from humble pioneer origins.

Grove City's first European settler, Hugh Grant, a Pittsburgh gristmill operator [operated a gristmill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania around the turn of the 18th century. Grant transported goods down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to sell and would walk back to Pittsburgh. Presumably, on one of these trips he walked through the Scioto Valley region and liked what he saw. He] purchased land in 1803 in the area that would become Grove City and returned with his wife Catharine to start a new life. Sadly, Grant was killed shortly after his arrival in a freak accident. The man who founded Grove City, William F. Breck bought 15.25 acres of land from Hugh Grant Jr. and added 300 more acres. Breck soon platted a village near Broadway with a school, church, stores and shopes. By the end of 1853, the village had 50 people in it. The name of Grove City was given because of the remaining groves of trees left standing after the clearing of land. In the years that followed, the first post office was built, as were a brick yard and saw mill. In 1864, while building the Woodland Hotel at the corner of Broadway and Columbus Street, Breck was killed in a freak accident. The trains brought a lot of business to Grove City, both in businesses to the little village, and transportation of goods and services. In 1884 the first train ran from Columbus to Midland City. In 1891, the Cincinnati, Midland City and Columbus Railroad (later the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad) brought passenger service to its freight line between Harrisburg, Grove City and Columbus. The track ran alongside the Harrisburg Turnpike, bringing commuters to Columbus in the morning and returned them in the evening. The railroad offered free rides to passengers who shipped goods with the company and helped make Grove City more commuter-friendly.

However, A.G. Grant decided that the village would be better served by an interurban electric train that would bring passengers to Columbus on a more frequent basis. The interurban would serve as a draw to new residents as part of the sub-urbanization movement that was taking place nationwide. The interurban was responsible for a significant amount of the population growth around the turn of the century.

In 1929, the Interurban trains stopped running, as the automobile became more accessible.

Another claim to fame for Grove City was racing, as the first thoroughbred racetrack in Ohio opened at Beulah Park in 1923. Greyhounds raced at the track. In the 1920s, Grove City became a popular entertainment mecca in the area, as with the Kingdom Theatre, dancing at Grant's Auditiorium, and musicians all over town. Beulah Park was also home to the Franklin County Fair in the early 20th Century, before that fair moved to its current location in Hilliard in 1918. In the 1930s, over 1,500 people lived in the town, but growth would spark in the 1940s. A housing boom began after the war, as plants like General Motors and Westinghouse Plants were seeking workers. Many others liked the convenience of driving only six miles to downtown Columbus to work, which would be easily helped with the construction of Interstate 71 and Interstate 270 in the 1960s and early 1970s.

A Trip Around Columbus: Groveport/Canal Winchester

    What name do you like best?  Wert's Grove or Rarey's Port?  People in the 1830s were confused as to what to name the tiny little village southeast of Columbus.  But, to the east, was another piece of land that was tied to the Ohio and Erie Canal. Groveport started out as two communities- Rarey's Port, founded by William Rarey, and Wert's Grove, founded by Jacob Wert.  There was a dispute about the land and the communities, most notably the operation of a post office.  In 1847, the name Groveport was suggested by Dr. Abel Clark.  The rest is history.  The village was built along the Ohio Canal, which opened in 1831.  Warehouses and mills were built along the canal, and in 1868, the railroad came through Groveport. When the workmen of the Ohio and Erie Canal built the Canal through the wheat field of Reuben Dove, the workmen persuaded Reuben Dove to lay out a town, after Dove wanted to sue Ohio.  Canal Winchester was born in 1828, named after the Ohio and Erie Canal and Dove's father's native town of Winchester, Virginia. In 1851, the Village became part of Madison Township, and it was incorporated in 1866. The railroad helped bring an economic boom to Canal Winchester, when the railroad depot was built in 1869. One of the most notable tales of Groveport is that of Cruiser.  Cruiser was a black stallion trained by John Solomon Rarey in the 1860s.  At the height of his fame, Rarey built a mansion, known as Cedarlawn, which at the time cost 23 thousand dollars.  Groveport became known as the "Home of John Rarey and Cruiser".  Cedarlawn would later become the Elmont Hotel.  Cruiser  Since the 1920s, Cruiser has been the nickname and mascot for the Groveport Madison High School athletic teams. Today, Groveport is home to several warehouses, and the Motts Military Museum- a military artifact museum.  Groveport is in close proximity to Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Rickenbacker International Airport, Three Creeks Metro Park, and the Village of Obetz.  Canal Winchester is a Preserve America Community.  Four of Canal Winchester's historic districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Just south of the village, the Slate Run Historical Farm is a living trip back in time to the 1800s.   The Barbers Museum and Hall of Fame, Mid-Ohio Doll and Toy Museum, and Historic Downtown Canal Winchester are among the highlights and attractions to the community. Canal Winchester has a weekly farmer's market in the growing season, a Blues and Rib Festival the first Weekend of August, a Labor Day Festival, and Christmas in the Village in early December. Sources:  

CITIES: Canal Winchester, Columbus, and Groveport SCHOOL DISTRICT: Canal Winchester City Schools, Columbus City Schools, and Groveport-Madison Local Schools BUS ACCESSIBLE: Yes (COTA – Line 11: Oak/Bryden and Line 89: Hamilton Road) SCHOOLS: Canal Winchester High School (300 Washington St., Canal Winchester), Canal Winchester Middle School (7155 Parkview Drive, Canal Winchester), Indian Trail Elementary School (6767 Gender Rd., Canal Winchester), Winchester Trail Elementary School (6865 Gender Rd., Canal Winchester); Easthaven Elementary School (2360 Garnet Place, Columbus), Independence High School (5175 Refugee Rd., Columbus), Liberty Elementary School (2901 Whitlow Rd., Columbus); Groveport Madison High School (4475 S. Hamilton Rd., Groveport), Groveport Madison Middle School Central (751 Main St., Groveport), Groveport Madison Middle School North (5474 Sedalia Drive, Blacklick Estates/Columbus), Groveport Madison Middle School South (4400 Glendening Drive, Groveport), Asbury Elementary School (5127 Harbor Blvd., Blacklick Estates/Columbus), Dunloe Elementary School (3200 Dunloe Rd., Blacklick Estates/Columbus), Glendening Elementary School (4200 Glendening Drive, Groveport), Groveport Elementary School (715 Main Street, Groveport), Madison Elementary School (4600 Madison School Drive, Blacklick Estates/Columbus), Sedalia Elementary School (5400 Sedalia Drive, Blacklick Estates/Columbus), Cruiser Academy (2747 Winchester Pike, Columbus); Hamilton Township High School (1105 Rathmell Rd., Obetz), Hamilton Middle School (755 Rathmell Rd., Obetz), Hamilton Intermediate School (765 Rathmell Rd., Obetz), Hamilton Elementary School (745 Rathmell Rd., Obetz), Hamilton Altenative Academy & Hamilton Pre-School (775 Rathmell Rd., Obetz); Eastland Career Center (4465 S. Hamilton Rd., Groveport)

  LANDMARKS/PLACES OF INTEREST: Columbus Metropolitan Library – Southeast Branch (3980 S. Hamilton Rd., Groveport) Eastland Mall (2740 Eastland Mall, Columbus) Fort Rapids Water Park (2100 Hilton Corporate Drive, Columbus) Groveport Aquatic Center (7370 Groveport Rd., Groveport) National Barber Shop Museum (2 S. High St., Canal Winchester) Rickenbacker Airport (7161 2nd St., Columbus/Lockbourne) Slate Run Historical Park (1375 Winchester Southern Rd, Canal Winchester) Smith Farm Market (3341 Winchester Pike, Columbus) Three Creeks Metro Park (3860 Bixby Rd., Groveport) Town Hall (648 Main Street, Groveport) Wagnalls Public Library (150 E. Columbus St., Lithopolis)

  LINKS:

A Trip Around Columbus - Hilliard

A Trip Around Columbus: Hilliard

  Hilliard was formed in 1853, named after John Reed Hilliard, who purchased two parcels of land in Norwich Township.  The little village was considered a good place for the Columbus, Piqua, and Indiana railroad to pass through Hilliard's Station.  On July 13, 1869, the Village of Hilliard became an incorporated town. The early years of Hilliard, farming was a big part of development.  The epicenter of the town was Main Street and Center Street.  Factories and mills were built around the community.  Hilliard's Station continued as a railroad depot to pick up passengers through the early 1940s, and freight until the Station was closed in 1962.  The depot is now located in Historical Weaver Park. In 1950, only 610 people lived in Hilliard, but the population ballooned through the 1950s and 1960s.  In 1960, Hilliard officially became a city.  When the I-270 outerbelt was completed, growth skyrocketed and Hilliard continues to grow to this day. In recent years, the city of Hilliard has spent millions in updating the streetscape and increasing walkability in Old Hilliard, as part of its dedication to preserving the past. Today, Hilliard is home to the Franklin County Fair, held every July, the one and only Early Television Museum in the United States, and the Mill Run subdivision, which houses businesses and technical schools.  The Historical Village includes a log cabin, school house, chapel, Hilliard Train Station, Caboose, Election House, Privy, barn, granary, covered bridge and museum. The First Responders Park, on Main and Center Streets in Old Hilliard, with pieces of steel from the World Trade Center site, is one of the largest first responders parks of its kind in the country. In 2011, it was named "Best Hometown" for 2012 in Ohio Magazine. 

CITY: Hilliard SCHOOL DISTRICT: Hilliard City Schools SCHOOLS: Hilliard Bradley High School (2800 Walker Rd.), Hilliard Darby High School (4200 Leppert Rd.), Hilliard Davidson High School (5100 Davidson Rd.); Heritage Middle School (5670 Scioto Darby Rd.), Memorial Middle School (5600 Scioto Darby Rd.), Weaver Middle School (4600 Avery Rd.); Hilliard Station Sixth Grade School (3859 Main Street), Tharp Sixth Grade School (4681 Leap Rd.); Alton-Darby Elementary School (2730 Alton Darby Creek Rd.), Avery Elementary School (4388 Avery Rd.), Beacon Elementary School (3600 Lacon Rd.), Britton Elementary School (4501 Britton Rd.), Brown Elementary School (2494 Walker Rd.), Darby Creek Elementary School (6305 Pinefield Drive), Hilliard Crossing Elementary School (3340 Hilliard Rome Rd.), Hilliard Horizon Elementary School (6000 Renner Rd.), Hoffman Trails Elementary School (4301 Hoffman Farms Dr.), J.W. Reason Elementary School (4790 Cemetery Rd.), Norwich Elementary School (4454 Davidson Rd.), Ridgewood Elementary School (4237 Dublin Rd.), Scioto Darby Elementary School (5380 Scioto Darby Rd.), Washington Elementary School (5675 Eiterman Rd.), HCSD Preschool Program (2874 Alton Darby Creek Rd.); St. Brendan School (4475 Dublin Rd.) BUS ACCESSIBLE: Yes (COTA – Line 5, Line 18, Line 84)

  LANDMARKS/PLACES OF INTEREST: Amlin Crossing Park (5468 Cosgray Rd.) Father Rodric J. DiPietro Park (3481 Davidson Rd.) First Responder’s Park (4020 Main Street) Franklin County Fairgrounds/Historical Village at Weaver Park (4100 Columbia St.) Heritage Rails to Trails/Makoy Center (5462 Center St.) Hilliard Branch – Columbus Metropolitan Library (4772 Cemetery Rd.) The Homestead Park (4675 Cosgray Rd.) Market at Mill Run (3780 Fishinger Blvd.) Roger A. Reynolds Municipal Park (3800 Veterans Memorial Drive) Television & Radio Museum (5396 Franklin St.)

  LINKS: Destination Hilliard: http://www.destinationhilliard.com Early Television Museum: http://www.earlytelevision.org