In April 1876, at the age of 23, Isaac C. Ketler opened his Select School, the forerunner of Grove City College. The first classes were held with 13 students. The fall session opened with 74 students, with the school renamed Pine Grove Normal Academy. A public meeting was held in 1878 to consider the purchase of land for the school. The first academy building was completed in December 1879 on a portion of the farm of James G. Cunningham, near the intersection of East Main and South Broad Streets.