THE FIRST FRAME FOR A BUILDING WAS ERECTED BY JOHN H. PIERCE ON THE LOT NOW OCCUPIED BY THE GENTRY BRICK BUILDING, BUT PIERCE LEARNED THAT THE COUNTY SEAT WAS TO BE ESTABLISHED AT SMITHTON AND TORE THE FRAME DOWN AND REBUILT IT AT SMITHTON.  ONLY TWO YEARS ELAPSED TILL THE COUNTY SEAT WAS CHANGED TO GRANT CITY AND PIERCE MOVED HIS BUILDING BACK TO GRANT CITY AT A POINT SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF THE PRESENT CHRISTIAN CHURCH.  MR. PIERCE WAS A LAWYER AND MOVED TO MCPHERSON, KANSAS IN 1880 AND DIED THERE TWO YEARS LATER.

THE FIRST BUILDING TO BE COMPLETED WAS ERECTED BY AMOS FRAKES ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE PUBLIC SQUARE.  THIS BUILDING STILL STANDS AND IS NOW OCCUPIED BY CORDA EARLY AND IS USED AS A POULTRY HOUSE.

THE FIRST LOAD OF LUMBER EVER HAULED TO GRANT CITY WAS BROUGHT BY JAMES CURRY, WHO ERECTED THE THIRD HOUSE BUILT IN GRANT CITY ON THE SITE THAT WAS OCCUPIED BY THE GRANT CITY STAR ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE SQUARE FOR MANY YEARS AND IS NOW OCCUPIED BY MOVING PICTURE SHOW BUILDING.

THE FIRST GENERAL STORE IN GRANT CITY WAS ESTABLISHED BY AMOS FRAKES,WHO HAD A STORE IN A LOG CABIN ON THE PRESENT PHILIP STABE PLACE,TWO MILES EAST OF GRANT CITY,AND AS SOON AS IT WAS KNOWN THAT THE COUNTY SEAT WAS COMING TO GRANT CITY, MOVED HIS STORE TO THE NEW BUILDING,WHICH WAS THE FIRST BUILDING COMPLETED IN GRANT CITY.

THE FIRST CARPENTER TO WORK IN GRANT CITY WAS A MAN BY THE NAME OF RISDEN, WHO LIVED ON THE PLACE NOW KNOWN AS THE COBB FARM, ONE-HALF MILE WEST OF IRENA.  HE BUILT THE AMOS FRAKES STORE.

THE FIRST FURNITURE STORE WAS ESTABLISHED BY CHARLES CISSNA.

REBECCA CISSNA TAUGHT THE FIRST SCHOOL IN A SMALL HOUSE JUST OUTSIDE THE WESTERN LINE OF GRANT CITY NEAR THE NORTH LINE.  THE HOUSE WAS AFTERWARDS MOVED TO THE SITE ON THE WEST SIDE.

THE FIRST BLACKSMITH WAS ASA HILSABECK, WHO CAME FROM GENTRY COUNTY TO WORTH COUNTY.   HE AND HIS FAMILY WERE WELL EDUCATED AND STOOD HIGH IN SOCIAL CIRCLES.  HE MOVED TO MOUNT PLEASANT IN GENTRY COUNTY IN 1870 AND LATER TO MARYVILLE, MISSOURI. MRS. THOMAS EARLY OF GRANT CITY IS THE DAUGHTER OF MR. HILSABECK.

THE FIRST SHOEMAKER IN GRANT CITY WAS HENRY AUSTRY, WHO AFTERWARD BECAME A HARDWARE MERCHANT AT DENVER, MISSOURI,AND LATER MOVED TO ST. JOSEPH, WHERE HE DIED IN 1911.

THE FIRST PHYSICIAN TO LOCATE IN GRANT CITY WAS DOCTOR NEWMAN, WHO GOT DRUNK VERY FREQUENTLY.  HE SOLD HIS HORSE AND BUGGY TO DR. J.H. HOUSER,WHO CAME FROM BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY, INDIANA, AND WAS A PHYSICIAN IN HIGH STANDING UNTIL ABOUT 1898, WHEN HE MOVED TO SAPULPA, OKLAHOMA, WHERE HE STILL RESIDES.

THE FIRST RESIDENT CARPENTER IN GRANT CITY WAS GEORGE RATHBURN.

DAVID SPENCER BUILT JAMES CURRY'S HOUSE AND LATER BUILT THE HOUSE PURCHASED FROM ASA HISABECK BY W.S. HUDSON; THIS HOUSE FOR MANY YEARS WAS CONSIDERED THE BEST IN THE COUNTY.

ROBERT SLOAN WAS THE FIRST PRACTICING LAWYER AND JOHN H. PIERCE AND THOMAS H. COLLINS CAME SOON AFTER. COLLINS WENT TO ALBANY, GENTRY COUNTY, IN 1875, AND IN 1880 WENT TO DENVER, COLORADO, WHERE HE LIVED UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1907.

THE FIRST JEWELER IN TOWN WAS J.M. THOMPSON FROM IOWA.

THE FIRST DRUG STORE WAS OPENED BY F.P. HOUSER, WHO WAS THE SECOND POSTMASTER AND IS NOW A RETIRED CITIZEN OF GRANT CITY.

THE FIRST POSTMASTER WAS CHARLES E. SWARTHOUT.

THE FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE BUILT IN GRANT CITY WAS BUILT BY JOHN FRANCE.

THE FIRST HARDWARE STORE WAS ESTABLISHED BY BEN PRUGH AND ONE OF THE LARGEST AND UP TO DATE HARDWARE STORE NOW IN TOWN.

G.W. FRAKES STARTED THE FIRST BUTCHER SHOP.

THE FIRST DRAY WAS RUN BY BRINKERHOFF.

THE FIRST HOTEL WAS ERECTED BY JAMES CURRY ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE SQUARE.

NATHANIEL DEWITT CAME IN 1865 AND WAS THE FIRST RESIDENT MINISTER OF GRANT CITY.

THE FIRST BLACKSMITH SHOP IN THE TOWNSHIP WAS OWNED BY JAMES FLETCHALL AND HAD THE SIGN OVER THE DOOR:  "ALL KINDS OF BLACKSMITHING DONE EXCEPT WELDING".

THE FIRST SCHOOL IN FLETCHALL TOWNSHIP WAS TAUGHT BY A MAN BY THE NAME OF SANFORD, WHO TAUGHT IN THE FLETCHALL DISTRICT IN THE EAST PART OF THE TOWNSHIP.  SANFORD PREACHED ALSO AND MADE HIS HOME WITH FLETCHALL.

THE FIRST CHURCH EDIFICE WAS ERECTED BY THE BAPTISTS.

THE FIRST BIRTH WAS THAT OF MCCLELLAN, SON OF MR. AND MRS. ROLAND SLOAN.

THE FIRST ADULT BURIED IN THE GRANT CITY CEMETERY WAS HANNAH DYE, DAUGHT OF DANIEL DYE.

THE FIRST SADDLE AND HARNESS MAKER WAS JAMES CLAVER.

THE FIRST BRICK HOUSE WAS THE ORIENTAL HOTEL, BUILT IN 1867 BY AMOS FRAKES.

THE FIRST LUMBER MERCHANT WAS MR. ARNOLD.

THE FIRST PIANO WAS OWNED BY PETER FRANCE.

THE FIRST LIVERY STABLE WAS OPERATED BY W.H. MORGAN, WHO LATER WENT TO KANSAS.