637 Crescent Avenue
The large Victorian style house on the corner of Crescent Avenue and Seventh Street was the home of A.C. Grove. Captain Abraham C. Grove came to Ellwood City in 1891 before the town was actually “official” and his house was among the earliest built in the newly formed town. Captain Grove and Henry S. Blatt were associated together in the Hardware business. The Ellwood Supply Company partners built their homes across from each other on Crescent Avenue and Seventh Street. The second and third deeds recorded at the Lawrence County Courthouse that the Pittsburg Company sold were to Captain Grove and to Mr. Blatt. Mr. Blatt’s home later became the Eagles Club before it was turned into Ellwood City’s first hospital. The historic building was eventually torn down in the early part of the Sixty’s when Crescent Place was built.
Captain Grove served on the very first school board in Ellwood City, was appointed to Ellwood’s first Borough Council and the petition that was presented to the Court for the inception of Ellwood City as a Borough in September of 1892, was sworn by Captain Grove. Another first involving the Captain was the first big fire in Ellwood City. The fire destroyed Blatt and Grove’s hardware building and ended the partnership. The business partners broke up and each rebuilt their own hardware store. Mr. Blatt opened his new business on the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Seventh Street and the Captain opened his store next door in 1893. Blatt’s building has since burned down while, like their houses, Captain Grove’s building still stands today.
After the fire, Henry Blatt got involved in the lumber business, served on the first board of directors of the First National Bank of Ellwood City, and became a major stockholder in the Pittsburg Company. Mr. Blatt also served in the State Legislature 1875-76, was named Burgess in 1895, was one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church in Ellwood City, and was also one of the founders of the local Masonic lodge before he died in 1910.
Mary E. Stroke bought the Captain’s home after he passed away. Richard and Sherry Lloyd bought the home in 1987 and began to restore the grand house until 1992 when they sold it to Anthony & Peggy Rocco who have continued the restoration.
With the one way street in front of the Post Office leading directly to the old Grove home, I know everybody is familiar with this home. If you have any old memories of the grand house you would like to share with us, please leave a comment below or email us your memories by CLICKING HERE.
Information for this post was gathered from the book Ellwood City Houses and the People Who Lived in Them by Charles R. Moser available at the Ellwood City Historical Society.
My family lived in this house in 1967, at that time it was 3 apartments
John J Kimmick own this house until sold to Lloyds. I was told by my parents Clifford and Dorothy Kimmick Miller that they lived there when I was born in 1942. I lived there in 1967. At that time you could enter though the front door which had like a lobby that contained the stairs to the upper floors plus entrance to first floor apartment. On second floor there was a small apartment plus a sleeping room located in the tower. Also a separate bathroom (don’t remember if used by both the apartment or just the furnished room. ) The third floor could be exited either by the front stairs or by a set of narrow steps at the back of the building. In 1967 it still had a coal furnace,I remember because it was my job to fire it. I let it go out and froze all the water pipes, needless to say my grandparents weren’t to happy with me