Groff had just returned from World War II, and had bought a $12.50 Lionel train set as a Christmas present for his two-year-old son Gary.
In the 1950s, the family opened their display to the public and local school groups during the Christmas holidays.
In 1961, George and Florence Groff moved the display to a small township maintenance facility that became available along Route 741, just to the west of the recently reopened Strasburg Rail Road.
A gift shop was added to the front of the building, and a picnic grove was constructed to the west of the parking lot.
[3] The displays pay homage to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with miniature replicas of The Willows Restaurant, Dutch Wonderland amusement park, the Strasburg Railroad, and a scale version of the Groff family home.