If you’ve traveled down Forest Grove Road on the way to Coraopolis, you’ve driven right past Groveton, a little gem tucked in a corner of Robinson Township on Route 51. It’s peaceful and quiet these days, but for much of the early 20th century, it was a very busy place.
Groveton came into existence in the 1800s, and by the early 1900s, Groveton had two stores in the Groveton Bottoms, the area adjacent to the Ohio River; a two-story apartment building, the Groveton Hotel, which burned to the ground in 1972; the Shulin Dance Hall, noted for its Charleston contests in the ‘20s; and the Maldoon Resort – also known as the Riviera — which had cabins and popular swimming areas for vacationers.
Some other small businesses associated with Groveton over the years were Szosts Store, Sandy’s Grocery, Leitner’s Candy, Story’s Confectionary, the Allen Beauty Shop and a barber shop. Larger businesses included Getty Oil & Gas, Davis Oil & Gas, Lang Machinery, McKee Transfer and Storage, and Lewis Foundry and Machine (now General Fabrication Services). The Groveton Post Office operated from 1886 to 1966, when it joined the Coraopolis Post Office.
The red brick Groveton School, located on Route 51 at Lewis Road, provided education for Groveton children from 1925 to 1972. The Groveton Honor Roll, containing the names of Groveton veterans from World Wars I and II, still sits in front of the old Groveton School, now the Walden Activity Center.
In 1942, the War Workers Housing Project built several dozen low-rent green housing units adjacent to Route 51. These were torn down in the early 2000s and replaced with 69 attractive, modern apartment units known as Groveton Village.
Being located along the river, Groveton has had its share of floods, including those of 1907, 1923, 1936 — when six homes were completely washed away — and the devastating Hurricane Agnes flood of 1972.
Through fires, floods and wars, Groveton still stands proud.
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