Mill Street once paralleled present day Grant Avenue and the Mill Street Market, formerly the Grove City Farmer's Exchange, and likely dated to 1852 or earlier when Grove City was founded by William Foster Breck. Although it became an important business hub for the newly created town, its intersection with Columbus Harrisburg Turnpike, known today as Broadway, was little more than a dirt driveway. In 1850, Breck purchased a steam powered grist mill from Xavias Buckholz and moved it to his property west of the turnpike between Mill Street and Nichols Street, now Grant Avenue. Breck also operated a sawmill and sold lumber there, and other businesses soon appeared nearby, including a hotel, restaurant, general store, and hardware store. In the late 1800s, the first local newspaper, the Grove City Blade, opened an office on Mill Street, which was home to some of Grove City's earliest businesses. Jackson Township's first grist mill was moved to this location in 1850, and in 1880 George H. Gantz, the mill's last owner, erected a modern three-story steam operated flour mill there. A pond next to the mill, created when clay was removed for use at a nearby tile and brick factory, became a popular place for swimming, fishing, and ice skating. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1921. That same year, the offices and grain elevators of the Grove City Farmers Exchange were built on the site, and during the 1920s and 1930s it was one of Ohio's top flour producers. The Exchange closed in 2001, the building was purchased and refurbished to house Mill Street Market, and the grain elevators, after falling into disrepair, were razed in 2007 because they were considered too dangerous to remain standing.