In 1809, Gilbert Carpenter and his nephew, Benjamin Carpenter, built a mill between the Big Walnut and Little Walnut Greeks. A village was plotted around the mill in 1816, under the name of Zoar. When the post office was established in l834, it was discovered that there was another village of Zoar in Ohio and this village was renamed Galena.
Two mills were eventually built in Galena, one sawmill, and the other a grist mill. Residents of the surrounding countryside brought their grain to be ground and to purchase supplies. This center of commerce grew in importance to the expanding farm area.
In 1820, the main road from Columbus to Mt, Vernon came through Galena, the end of a day's travel from ether town. Three hotels and several restaurants accommodated the traveler. Coaches changed their horses here as well.
Livery stables, blacksmith's shops, and harness shops cared for the needs of horses and wagons hauling logs, grain, and stone to and from the surrounding area.
In 1906, the public square was laid out and it remains very similar today. Around the square at that time were three large general stores, a drug store, harness shop, undertaker, meat market, restaurants, barber shops, pool rooms, and a millinery store. Outside the square was a wagon shop, a paint shop, and a creamery.
Earlier than this (1872), the Columbus and Mt. Vernon railroad was constructed through the north end of Galena. Business received supplies and manufacturing plants shipped out products made in Galena. Among the local products were wooden agricultural implements such as hand corn planters, hay rakes, and other wooden tools. These were shipped to the eastern United States, where they were very popular. Because or the proximity of the railroad, a hay market developed which shipped hay to the nearby cities. Large holding pens held livestock until it could be shipped to the meat markets of the East.
In 1893, a plant with a steam boiler to power a sawmill and a grist mill was built near the railroad. This plant also made tile and brick from surface clay during the summer months. In 1924, a deposit of Bedford Shale was found only two miles from this plant. This discovery enabled the plant to expand into the present Galena Shale Tile and Brick Company. This plant has employed as many as 150 persons and is now the only industry located in Galena.
In 1976, Galena was only a shadow of its past. A large part of the former community is under waters of the Hoover Reservoir. Only a small pizza shop, a tavern, a sporting goods store, and a branch bank constituted the business and commercial enterprises of the downtown area. The brickyard and a small garage operated in the north end of town.
Source: Galena: Church and Community, 1976, by Rev. Max Powell