BIG WALNUT COUNTRY CLUB
one of the first African American country clubs in the United States
In the mid-1920s Gahanna was a small rural village. Though only a few miles in distance, it seemed worlds apart from the growing Ohio capital of Columbus.
Nevertheless, when leaders of the African American communities in downtown Columbus were looking for a rural retreat for recreation, conferences, athletics, and social interaction, they established the Big Walnut Country Club in Gahanna, Ohio.
After decades of operation, the Club shut down and for the past fifty years its achievements and existence have all but disappeared from memory, history, and local heritage...until now.
Today, you a can visit the site, which is now Friendship Park, located at 150 Oklahoma Ave. Gahanna, OH 43230. Owned and operated by the City of Gahanna.
to the following organizations for helping complete this project
a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities
AAIG, Franklin County Genealogy & Historical Society
African American & African Studies Community Extension Center
of the City of Gahanna
of the Columbus Metropolitan Library