BEULAH PARK
“AND THEY’RE OFF” – This sculpture greets you as you enter the new Beulah Park Living area. Designed and created by Craig W. Murdick.
Home Stretch - 1926
Early Beulah Park Grandstand
Thoroughbred Racing
Grove City is the birthplace for both Thoroughbred and Greyhound racing in Ohio. The Sport of Queens, Greyhound racing, was short lived but attracted thousands to the track once located on the grounds of Our Lady of Perpetual Help School. The Sport of Kings, thoroughbred racing, lasted 91 years ending in 2014 with the closing of Beulah Park.
Adam Grant created Beulah Park in 1889 as a community gathering place when he built single family homes in what is known as the Beulah Addition, just west of the railroad tracks in the Grove City Town Center.
The park was named in honor of his daughter, Beulah. One of the early attractions was a merry- go-round powered by John Buckholtz’s steam engine. Beulah Park was also once home to the Franklin County Fair and later the Grove City Fair.
Thoroughbred racing came to Grove City in 1923 when a half mile dirt track opened. It became a major entertainment center in Central Ohio spurred on by the Interurban electric street railway that brought race fans from Columbus and beyond. The track operated as Beulah Park except for a few years when a new owner changed the name to Darby Downs. That name was never popular with race fans.
Race fans at Beulah Park
It was not unusual for the population of Grove City to double and sometimes triple in size with race fans attending afternoon racing at Beulah Park and night races at the Greyhound track.
Residents turned their yards into parking lots especially along Grant Avenue and Park Street. The closer a race fan could park near the Grant Avenue entrance, the higher the fee to park. Gasoline stations in Grove City could identify winners and losers by the amount of fuel purchased. Losers would often purchase as little as 25-50 cents worth of gas, just enough to get home.
The popularity of thoroughbred racing began to decline with a more varied option of entertainment venues. Just before Beulah Park closed it had become a very popular track for race wagering in England, according to Jim McKinney, the track’s last general manager.
Beulah Park was purchased in 2011 by Penn National Gaming and shortly afterwards announced it would move the racing license to a race facility outside Franklin County. The track and its grounds were no longer available for numerous city sponsored activities such as the balloon festival, country music shows and Independence Day fireworks. Beulah had also been home to high school graduation programs, the Capitol City Music Park, Big Bear Balloon Festival and the Grove City Community Fair and a staging point for the Arts in the Alley Parade.
The Beulah Park property was purchased by developer Pat Kelley, of Falco, Smith, & Kelley Ltd. The former Beulah Park site now includes apartments, condominiums, single-family homes, a senior luxury independent living facility, and an assisted living facility. A park covers about 60 acres. Office and retail space is being developed as well. By 2021, residents began moving in to the completed areas in the new community. As of the beginning of 2024, construction and development continues on the site.
Beulah Park Final Stretch Video
This video highlights the closing ceremony and the final days of operation of Beulah Park. Video courtesy of the City of Grove City, Ohio and video editing by Derek Bowshier.