Getting to Know Whitehall, OH

Located on the east side of Columbus, Whitehall’s most recent population estimate was at 18,926 residents. Kim Maggard is currently serving as mayor.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Whitehall still had working farms, and the area was of a mixed-income with mostly small homes. Although it was still a village in the 1940s, the local residents filed for incorporation in the year 1947.

Five years later, in 1952, Whitehall’s boundaries were expanded east to the country club and to Big Walnut Creek. Because of the sudden rapid growth, in the 1950s it became a city. In 1948, Whitehall became home to the first shopping center strip in the country, which was called Casto’s Town and Country. The National Road passed through Whitehall.

In August 1970, the city made national news when two department stores were bombed to create a diversion in an armed robbery incident. The robber, a man named William Harris, was arrested after a civilian chased him down and apprehended him for police. According to a New York Times article published from the event, Harris was seen running from a store with a gun in hand after the first explosion went off. The civilian, a man named Roger Penwell, is said to have chased him down on his motorcycle despite Harris firing gunshots at him to stop him. Penwell was eventually given the Carnegie Hero Fund’s Bronze Medal for his acts of bravery and heroism. His efforts are believed to have actually saved lives. Additionally, because of what Penwell did, police located 62 additional stacks of dynamite in three other locations. This helped save property and innocent lives. 

According to the U.S. Census, Whitehall has a total area of 5.29 square miles, with the Big Walnut Creek flowing through it, defining its eastern border. Whitehall is located near the Port Columbus International Airport. The 338th Army Band is also stationed in Whitehall at the Defense Supply Center.