With an eclectic mixture of young college students and full-time residents, there is always something stimulating and entertaining happening in Granville. With its 175 year old campus, Denison University sits high on a hill overlooking the community giving Granville a New England-like elegance. Downtown Granville is cozy and inviting with its historical buildings, churches, and storefronts. An active arts community, historical preservation society, two historic manors, large rural farms, and close proximity to Columbus and Newark makes Granville an ideal community for those looking for a place to call home.
Of course none of this happened by accident. Granville was settled in 1805 by families from Massachusetts and Connecticut seeking richer farmlands. In preparing for the move, The Licking Company sent out advance parties of settlers to plant a fall harvest and build mills on the Licking River. As a result, when the 107 New England families arrived, their future community was already platted and laid out in detail. What you see today in Granville is not a casualty of happenstance, but rather the result of a long term vision of what a community should be based on the New England ideals of civics. This rich history is on display in any one of the town’s 100 buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Naturally, like many transplanted New Englanders, the residents of Granville transplanted their values into civic organizations including local churches, a liberal arts university, and a community bank (which is now home to the Granville Historical Society). These civic institutions sprang from the values inherited by an educated mind and spirit.
Surprisingly, although there was a great deal to accomplish before the onset of winter, a community priority was the establishment of a literary society. Using books purchased in the East, the new Ohioans immediately created one of Granville’s first civic institutions: the library. Within a week of arriving they had created a library and appointed their first librarian. Two years later the library was reorganized and named the Alexandria Society, after the famous library of Egypt. The library became a platform for future civic development in Granville and even today it is a touchstone for the entire community.
Education became Granville’s primary business as it grew and prospered. Churches, seminaries, and a university were all founded with the ideals of changing the world for the better. For example, founded in 1831 the Granville Literary and Theological Institution became the Granville College in 1845 and then Denison University in 1856.
Of course, like many 19th Century institutions, the Granville Literary and Theological Institution was established for the benefit of men. However, because of the community’s value of education, a year later, in 1832, a local resident established the Granville Female Seminary for women. Nearly 30 years later it was sold to a Baptist-sponsored enterprise and became the Young Ladies’ Institute. In 1886, the Young Ladies’ Institute was renamed Shepardson College for Women and in 1900 became part of Denison University.
Today Denison University, on the high banks of the Licking River, is one of the countries pre-eminent private, co-educational, liberal arts colleges with over 2,000 full-time students represented by nearly all 50 states and several foreign countries.
As expected, with its heritage of strong educational values, the Granville Exempted Village School District is a proud jewel radiating civic pride. The mission of the schools is clear: To prepare individuals to cooperate and contribute in an ever-changing and diverse global society, by using a challenging, integrated curriculum that promotes integrity as well as individual excellence to create a caring community of lifelong learners. Click here to view the latest Public School District Report Card for the Granville Exempted Village School District. Click here to view Private Schools close to this community.
The idea of a community built with a vision, around a strengthening of the mind and spirit, and with a core of civic virtues has made Granville a place easy to love. It is the desire to honor, both the past and the future, which has made Granville one of the most sought after zip codes in Central Ohio.
If you are considering a relocation to Granville or the Columbus area, please take advantage of the complimentary resources that The Opland Group has to offer. To request a private tour of the Granville community or available homes for sale in Granville or the surrounding areas, please contact The Opland Group at (614) 332-6984.
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