Entrance to Worthington Hills with Worthington Hills Garden Club Beautification Project, 1968

This photograph shows the entrance to the Worthington Hills neighborhood, looking west at the intersection of Clubview Boulevard S and Olentangy River Road/315, as it appeared in 1968. In the center of the photo are tulips and bushes planted in the median of Clubview Boulevard S by members of the Worthington Hills Garden Club (WHGC). A receipt associated with the photo identifies the plants as being from Slemmons Gardens, 5256 Olentangy River Road, with a handwritten note: "landscape architect, Mr. Fred Hauer, drew the original plan for our entry way beautification plan." Visible in the background of the photo are two cars, as well as homes that might 776 and 777 Clubview Boulevard S.

The neighborhood that would become Worthington Hills was purchased by Christopher Tone from Eri Bristol in 1841, according to the book "Worthington Neighborhoods" by Jennie McCormick. The Tone family moved from New Hampshire to Ohio, with Minor P. Tone continuing to farm on the land following his father Christopher's death in 1850. In the 1950s, Raymond E. Mason began purchasing the land that would form the neighborhood, transferring it in 1960 to "Olentangy Country Club Estates" to launch the concept of a neighborhood build around a golf course.

The neighborhood was platted between 1963 and 1968, and according to McCormick, offered "resort living around its own golf course and amenities for family living for which most homeowners in 1966 could only dream." Homes were typically larger than average, and more than half were totally air-conditioned. Some homes were "quiet conditioned," which featured insulated plumbing, noise-reducing baffles on heating systems and sound-proofed family rooms.

This photo is from the collection of the Worthington Hills Garden Club (WHGC), which was formed in 1967. Active from the beginning, the club held flower shows, sponsored planting events at nursing homes and schools, and held home and garden tours. Today, club membership is open to anyone, whether they are a resident of Worthington Hills or not, and the WHGC sponsors tours of central Ohio sites, promotes conservation and a love of gardening, supports charitable causes and invests in natural areas such as the Sawmill Wetlands.