Gahanna unveils first historical marker commemorating the Big Walnut Country Club

Courtesy of Fox 28
By WSYX Staff
September 16, 2022

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A celebration was held in Gahanna Friday night as the city unveiled and dedicated its first historical marker commemorating the Big Walnut Country Club.

The club sat on what is now Friendship Park.

Big Walnut Country Club was one of the first African American country clubs in the United States.

It was founded in the 1920s by a number of civic leaders including Nimrod Booker Allen, who was a founder of the Columbus Urban League.

The marker is a result of years of collaborative work by many in the Gahanna Community.

Gahanna unveils first historical marker commemorating the Big Walnut Country Club

“It’s a piece of history that was lost for a really long time,” Gahanna Mayor Laurie Jadwin said. “We just discovered it about a decade ago and now we have all these people who turned out today. We have this marker that’s here, that will tell the story of what happened generations ago, and tell the story for generations to come.”

The club included an 18-hold golf course and a clubhouse. It closed in the 60s.