Michael Herron
This summer, Westerville is offering various opportunities for the community to learn about and reflect upon its history as people all across the nation celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary.
Local legacies
On June 26 at Fourth Friday, the City will celebrate its signature program for America 250: the installation of 12 vinyl murals sharing Westerville’s under-told stories.
The murals, designed by nine different artists, tie in the America 250-Ohio Commission’s monthly themes, such as transportation, natural resources, and veterans and first responders, through a Westerville lens.
Derrick McPeak, special events and project manager for the City and co-chair on the America-250 Westerville Committee, says planning started in late 2023.
“We got together and decided that we wanted to really center Westerville in this discussion,” McPeak says. “So, over the last 250 years, what does history look like for this area?”
While Westerville is well-known for its role in Prohibition and the Underground Railroad, the committee – comprising of the City, Visit Westerville, the Westerville Historical Society, the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce, Otterbein University and the Westerville Public Library – decided to hone in on the city’s lesser-known legacies.
Some of the mural themes include highlighting Westerville as an agricultural hub, its wetlands, festivals and fairgrounds, Muscogee Nation at Central College, Black veterans and State Street/Route 3.
The art of remembrance
Michael Herron
To create the themes, representatives from the Historical Society and the History Museum reviewed different Westerville stories and sorted them per the state’s monthly themes.
A digital survey also gave community members an opportunity to share stories about people, places and events that haven’t been the primary focus of the city’s history.
“We want the public to understand that there’s so much more to Westerville’s history. And there’s some really, really fascinating and engaging people who have lived here and have done really great things for this community,” McPeak says.
While the murals will be printed and installed by The Point at Otterbein throughout May and June, the Chamber of Commerce and Visit Westerville have used their connections to partner with businesses to select diverse locations for the murals, which will be displayed for three to five years.
“The goal is to get folks out and about to different parts of the community but also to see the under-told stories because each location has a connection, for the most part, to the mural,” says Stacey Rusterholz, Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce communications and community outreach director.
Through Visit Westerville, an interactive digital tour will help visitors navigate from mural to mural.
Read All About It
Westerville Public Library
Learning about Westerville’s history doesn’t stop with the murals.
From May 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027, the Westerville History Museum’s Public Opinion exhibit at the Westerville Public Library will allow visitors to become investigative journalists as they uncover various stories from past to present. Some of these topics include the Underground Railroad and the Fugitive Slave Act, Prohibition and speakeasies, school district boundaries as well as protests and rallies.
The exhibit, named for one of Westerville’s longest running papers, is open to all ages.
“We have junior journalist moments for all of the sections,” says Westerville History Museum Manager Jackie Barton. “Some of those are prompts where family groups can ask a question for younger folks to engage in the content, and some of them are activities or actions that they can undertake that are special for them.”
While this interactive learning experience celebrates the First Amendment, it also allows visitors to learn about Westerville’s journalism history.
“Public Opinion, beyond the headlines and the article or the exhibit, is really about looking at Westerville’s long tradition of local press and citizen engagement on this 250th anniversary of the founding of America’s democracy,” Barton says.
Honoring History and Heroes
Michael Herron
For America’s milestone anniversary, the Westerville Sunrise Rotary Club is hosting its 18th annual Field of Heroes from May 22-25 with the theme “We the People.”
Over the years, the event has created opportunities for education and commemoration with tribute field displays for the Vietnam War, World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen, women in the military, the Korean War, first responders, 9/11 and more.
This year, founder Larry Jenkins says the theme reflects times in the nation’s history when people have come together, starting with the Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence and also including epochs such as the Civil War, the suffrage movement and the Civil Rights movement.
“We think the history wasn’t just the one time that the people came and decided, ‘We’re going to be a government by the people, for the people,’ but how it’s been augmented through the history,” Jenkins says. “So, we’re going to try to show a historic look of what has been encompassed in that 250 years as best as you can on a field display.”
The multi-day event also includes various performances and activities, such as an old-fashioned baseball game against the Ohio Village Muffins, a performance by the Westerville Community Band, a Sunday morning 5K run and walk, a Taps performances and a Memorial Day Ceremony.
Although the event isn’t exclusively a fundraiser, it has supported local nonprofits, such as Honor Flight Columbus, which people can donate to through the 5K sign-up.
At its core, the Field of Heroes – which features 3,000 American flags – honors veterans, fallen service members, first responders and personal heroes. Jenkins says he wants to fill Memorial Day weekend with gratitude.
“Anyone who buys (a flag dedication) can honor whoever they want, whoever their personal hero (is). And that was always important to me because I don’t think anyone’s truly a self-made person,” Jenkins says. “I think (Field of Heroes) is a great backdrop and a great event for people to come out and just spend a little bit of time being proud of our country but also being grateful for the people that have helped get them where they are.”
Amanda Stevens is a contributing writer for CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
