After World War I, the Western Clock Company – often referred to locally as Westclox – began a significant project that would transform part of Peru. The company purchased large tracks of land extending from its plant in the southeast corner of Peru north about two miles through a ravine along the city’s eastern edge. They soon began developing this property, building infrastructure, housing, and recreational areas for its employees. The section lying south of Shooting Park Road became known as Central Park. Much of the work in this area was completed by the time the company moved across the road and began planning another subdivision for its executives on land locally known as Halligan’s Grove. That area would be approved in 1929 by the city as The Grove Addition.
You can read more about Central Park and the Grove Addition below:
Central Park
Central Park Article.pdf by Pam BroviakThe Grove Addition
Discover the people, homes, and connections that shaped one of Peru’s most distinctive neighborhoods developed by the Western Clock Company at the northwest corner of Shooting Park and Airport Roads.
The interactive project linked below combines property records, historic and current photographs, family histories, architectural details, and Westclox connections in a lot-by-lot exploration of the Grove Addition. (Details of current owners have been minimized to respect privacy of the residents.)
Click the button below to launch the map in a new window, then click each lot to learn its story.
