In 1925 The City of Columbus dammed the Scioto River creating a lake that they named the O’Shaughnessy after the superintendent who oversaw the project, The resulting lake attracted fishermen and boaters and soon a small vacation community sprang up on the west side. As the village grew, permanent residents moved in and businesses were opened. A grocery and general store was located at Glick and
Dublin Roads. This became Tags market in the 60’s and is now a Walgreen’s. Up the street on Dublin road there was a donut shop, more restaurants and the infamous White Cottage (at the present site of Jimmy V’s). The Village of Shawnee Hills was officially incorporated in 1941. Leatherlips Yacht Club, a sailing club, moved from the east side of the lake to its present location in 1947. With all this activity the village continued to grow, more businesses were opened and things were going along smoothly. Trouble was that the bridge over the dam had not been designed for heavy traffic. In 1989 the road was declared unsafe and was closed. The City of Columbus began a construction project that enlarge the dam and created a new road over it. The endeavor took two years. When construction was finally finished and to celebrate the opening of the bridge three area business people decided to throw a party. The party was the Dam Jam. Those three Ted Guarsci, of Tags Market, Karl Demler of Bogey Inn and Larry Burchfield of Cedarbrook Garden Center along with Virginia Farnsworth, were the foundation of the organization that grew into the Shawnee Hills Chamber of Commerce. From its beginning in 1991 the Shawnee Hills Chamber of Commerce has pursued a course of community involvement that has included contributing to various community projects in the Village of Shawnee Hills.
