1960 - Opening Night - Max Hess Stadium - Allentown PA

Lehigh Valley Mall entrance from lifestyle center

2020 - Lehigh Valley Mall - 7 - Allentown PA

Whitehall Township is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

with home rule status in

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Lehigh County (; Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Lechaa Kaundi'') is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the coun ...

, United States. The township's population was 29,173 as of the 2020 census. Whitehall Township is a suburb of Allentown in the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...

metropolitan region, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

in the U.S. as of the 2020 census. The township is north of Allentown, northwest of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and west of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

History

The

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

was created in 1681 when King Charles II granted a charter of land in America to

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

18th century

After the death of Penn, his sons, John, Thomas, and

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

, became the owners of Pennsylvania. The

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

Indian tribe deeded that part of Lehigh County lying between the South Mountain and Blue Mountain to Penn's sons in 1736. A wave of German immigrants from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

's Palatinate settled in Whitehall Township. The first was Jacob Kohler, who settled in the vicinity of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

about 1728. The settlers staked their claim on the lands by applying to the Penns for a land warrant. They cleared the land for farming and established churches around which villages grew. When the first European settlers came to the Whitehall area, the Lenape people were living on the banks of Hokendauqua Creek. The Europeans and the Lenape designed a deal to determine how much land the Europeans would acquire based on how far the Europeans were able to walk in two days. To gain more land, the Europeans paid a professional runner who got as far as what is now Coaldale, in Schuylkill County. The Lenape lived peacefully among the German settlers for a time. But the tribe suffered injustices at the hands of the settlers and lashed back during a 1763 uprising in Lehigh County. Fort Deshler, which stood near Route 145 at Chestnut Street, played a key role in the defense of settler-held lands during this battle, in which 23 settlers were killed.

19th century

The original Whitehall Township, established in 1753, was split into the three townships of Whitehall, North Whitehall, and South Whitehall in 1867. The name Whitehall is said to have originated from Lynford Lardner's hunting lodge that was painted with

whitewash Whitewash, calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, asbestis or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk (calcium carbonate, CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes ...

. Lardner named it "Grouse Hall", but the common people of the region called it "White Hall". Whitehall Township's villages include Cementon,

, Fullerton, Hokendauqua, Mickleys, Stiles, and West Catasauqua. Coplay was also part of Whitehall until it incorporated as a borough in 1869. Agriculture was the major industry until the mid-1800s. Today, about are under cultivation. There were six

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

s in Whitehall, built to process grains for the farmers into flour and animal feed. Only one grist mill remains, the Helfrich Springs Grist Mill, which is also home to the Whitehall Historical Preservation Society, which has preserved the building for use as a local history museum. Completion of the Lehigh Canal in 1829 led to further development. Discovery of

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

deposits brought Whitehall into the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

when the first blast iron furnace was built in Hokendauqua in 1854. This was immediately followed by the establishment of a railroad system to transport raw materials to the furnaces and to ship the final product. Population grew rapidly as these industries attracted Welsh and Irish immigrants. While the railroads were being constructed, cuts in the bedrock led to the discovery of Whitehall's deposits of Jacksonburg

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

. David O. Saylor perfected and patented the process of manufacturing

Portland cement Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar (masonry), mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout. It was developed from other types of hydraulic lime in England in th ...

. The first Portland cement plant was located between the villages of Cementon and Coplay. Others quickly followed, and by 1914 70% of the cement produced in the United States came from the "Cement Belt" or Lehigh District. The cement industry attracted a new wave of immigrants from

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, creating yet another population spurt.

20th century

Whitehall became classified as a first class township with a population of 7,935 in 1900. This gave the township specified municipal rights for supplying electric lights, highways, and sewers at public expense. The post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

era began the transition from the manufacturing industries to the retail industry as Whitehall became a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

and suburb of Allentown. The individual villages united into a single entity known as Whitehall in 1968, when the U.S. Post Office combined its separate town branches. Breadon Field, which was the home field for a series of

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

teams from the stadium's 1948 opening until its 1964 demolition, was based in Whitehall Township. In 1974, voters approved the adoption of a Home Rule Charter form of government, creating a seven-member legislative body and an elected mayor. Today, with an annual budget in excess of $21 million, Whitehall provides a full range of municipal services to its residents.

Geography

Whitehall Township is in eastern Lehigh County on the north side of the city of Allentown. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.22%, are water. Whitehall is drained by the Lehigh River, which forms the eastern boundary of the township, separating it from the boroughs of

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

and North Catasauqua in Northampton County and the borough of Catasauqua in Lehigh County. The township was originally created on March 20, 1753, and included what is now North Whitehall and South Whitehall townships. In 1810, a petition was made to the Northampton County Court to split the township into two portions; at the time, the area now encompassed by Lehigh County was part of Northampton County. The name "Whitehall" refers to a white hall that was built along Jordan Creek in the early 1700s as a hunting lodge. The area had a large ruffed grouse population along with numerous

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...

, eastern elk, eastern wolves, and black bear. Mountain lions or

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...

s may have also existed within Whitehall Township at some point in time. Because of the rich biodiversity of the area it became known as the wilderness of Whitehall.

Old-growth forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...

consisting of oak, tulip poplar, hickory, black walnut, sugar maple, basswood, American chestnut, American beech, and sycamore covered the entire township. In 1867, eastern portions of both North and South Whitehall were reapportioned into the current Whitehall Township. The new Whitehall Township is generally rectangular in shape, running from north-northwest to south-southeast, and is situated along the western bank of the Lehigh River. Two years after the new township's formation, the borough of Coplay was incorporated, removing from the township a square section of . The township's villages include Cementon, Eagle Point,

, Fullerton, Hokendauqua, Mickleys, North Coplay, Scherersville (also in South Whitehall), Stiles, and West Catasauqua.

Adjacent municipalities

* Catasauqua (east) * Hanover Township (southeast) * Allentown (south) * South Whitehall Township (southwest) * North Whitehall Township (northwest) * Allen Township, Northampton County (tangent to the northeast) * Northampton, Northampton County (northeast) * Coplay (east) * North Catasauqua, Northampton County (east)

Climate

Whitehall Township has a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfa'') and the

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 6b. Average monthly temperatures in Hokendauqua range from in January to in July.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 29,173 people, 11,607 households, and 6,817 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 10,744 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 90.56%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.74%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.13% Native American, 3.62% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.71% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.37% of the population. There were 10,376 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 52% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.93. In the township, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $43,070, and the median income for a family was $51,597. Males had a median income of $39,175 versus $26,933 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $21,383. About 4.4% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Whitehall-Coplay School District serves the township and also the borough of Coplay. Students in grades 9–12 from both municipalities attend Whitehall High School. There also are several parochial and private schools within the Township: *Good Shepherd Catholic School (K-8) *Lehigh Valley Lutheran School (K-8) *Lehigh Valley Seventh-day Adventist School (K-8) *St. Elizabeth Regional School (K-8) *St. Stephens School (PK-K) *Manarah Islamic Academy (PK-5)

Historic sites

The Dent Hardware Company Factory Complex in Fullerton and Helfrich's Springs Grist Mill in the township are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Businesses

The Lehigh Valley Mall, the largest

-based shopping mall, is located in Whitehall Township, as is the Whitehall Mall. Several radio stations have broadcast facilities within the township (all owned by

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

), including: * WAEB (AM) (790 AM),

Talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...

* WAEB (FM) (104.1 FM),

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

* WSAN (1470 AM),

Sports radio Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sport, sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-low comed ...

* WZZO (95.1 FM),

Rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

Government

As of 2025, Whitehall Township is represented by the following federal, state, county, and township officials:

Federal

U.S. Senate

* John Fetterman ( Democrat (D) (through 2028) *

Dave McCormick David Harold McCormick (born August 17, 1965) is an American politician, businessman, and former United States Army, Army officer serving since 2025 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senato ...

( Republican (R) (through 2031)

U.S. House

* Ryan Mackenzie (R), Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district (through 2027)

State

State Senate

* Nick Miller (D), 14th State Senate District

State House

* Jeanne McNeill (D) (through 2027), 133rd State House district

County

County executive

*Phillips Armstrong (D) (2022 to 2025)

County commissioners

*1st County District, Antonio Pineda *At Large commissioners: **Sheila Alvarado **Dan Hartzell **Jon Irons **April Riddick

Township

Mayor

* Joseph J. Marx, Jr. (D) (2024 to 2027)

Treasurer

*Tina Koren (R) (2022 to present)

Commissioners

*Thomas Slonaker (D) president (D) (2022 to 2026) *Jeffrey J. Warren (D) vice president (2024 to 2028) *Randy Atiyeh (D), secretary, (2024 to 2028) *Randy Atiyeh (D) (2019 to 2023) *Elizabeth Fox (D) (2024 to 2028) *Robert Piligian (D) (2024 to 2026) *Alberta Scarfaro (D) (2023 to 2026) *Kenneth Snyder Jr. (D) (2024 to 2028)

Police

Whitehall Township Bureau of Police is a medium-sized city police

force In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an Physical object, object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the Magnitu ...

. The first police patrolmen were hire in 1905, and the current police department was formed in 1946. Since then, has been ensuring law and order in the

Transportation

Highways and roads

As of 2018, there were of public roads in Whitehall Township, of which were maintained by the state's Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and of which are maintained by the township. The township's main north–south road is MacArthur Road ( PA 145), which has an interchange with US 22 in the south and crosses PA 329 in the north. PA 145 heads south into Allentown and north to Walnutport. US 22 passes east–west through the southern portion of Whitehall Township on a freeway called the Lehigh Valley Thruway, with interchanges at PA 145 and Fullerton Avenue. US 22 leads west to connections with PA 309, I-476, also known as the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension, and I-78 and east to

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

and Easton. PA 329 passes east–west through the northern portion of Whitehall Township on Main Street, leading west to Schnecksville and east to

and

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Public bus service

LANta provides bus service in Whitehall Township with several routes serving the MacArthur Road retail corridor. The bus routes connect the township with Allentown, Bethlehem, and other points in the Lehigh Valley. The transit center at the Lehigh Valley Mall moved because the mall requested LANta to move due to safety concerns.

Notable people

* Afa Anoa'i, former professional wrestler *

Saquon Barkley Saquon Rasul Quevis Barkley ( ; born February 9, 1997) is an American professional American football, football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany ...

, professional football player,

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

* Walt Groller, former polka musician * Brian Knobbs, former professional wrestler *

Dan Koppen Daniel Koppen (born September 12, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a center for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos. Prior to entering the NFL in ...

, former professional football player,

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

and

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

* Patrick Maggitti, first provost of

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

and dean of the Villanova School of Business *

Matt Millen Matthew George Millen (born March 12, 1958) is an American former professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Millen played as a linebacker for 12 years for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Franci ...

, former professional football player,

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

and

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

, former president and General Manager,

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

* Jerry Sags, former professional wrestler * Curt Simmons, former professional baseball player,

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

, and St. Louis Cardinals

References

External links

*
Whitehall Township news
at '' The Morning Call''
Whitehall Township news
at Lehigh Valley Live {{authority control Populated places on the Lehigh River Townships in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania