Groveport Heritage Museum

About Groveport Heritage Museum

The Groveport Heritage Museum, located in Groveport Town Hall, displays historic artifacts and memorabilia from the early 19th century. Visitors explore exhibits devoted to the Ohio and Erie Canal, which opened in Groveport in 1831 and brought prosperity to the area. The Canal exhibit features maps, photographs, and artifacts from that era, while Lock 22 and canal remnants remain visible in local parks. A major exhibit focuses on John S. Rarey, the renowned Horse Whisperer from Groveport, whose humane methods of horse training gained international attention in the mid-19th century. Rarey famously tamed the English stallion Cruiser, now the mascot of the Groveport Madison School District. The museum also documents the 1847 merger of two canal towns, Wert's Grove and Rarey's Port, which created the world's only town named Groveport. The museum is managed by the Groveport Heritage and Preservation Society and suits history enthusiasts and those interested in Ohio's canal era and local heritage.