Whitehall Township History

Whitehall Pa, is a compilation of villages formerly known by their individual names Cementon, Egypt, Fullerton, Hokendauqua, Mickleys, Stiles, and West Catasauqua. All are situated in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pa and all had their own separate postal identity until 1968 at which time the US Post Office consolidated them into on mailing address known as Whitehall pa 18052

Whitehall Township played a significant role in the history of the Lehigh Valley, contributing in the development of the Lehigh valley’s agricultural and industrial heritage due to its rich geological resources as well as fertile lands. One of the most precious assets, the Lehigh River, lies along Whitehall’s eastern border.

Whitehall Township was organized and named in 1753. Its name is said to have originated from Lynford Lardner’s hunting lodge that was painted with whitewash. Lardner named it “grouse hall” but the common people of the region called it “white hall”

Whitehall became classified as a first class township with the population of 7,935 in 1900.this gave the township specified municipal rights for supplying electric lights, highways, and sewer. Other municipal amenities such as police and fire protection soon followed



Whitehall Fire Department History

Prior to Whitehall Township obtaining first class status in 1900, fire protection was left to each village’s inhabitants. Because factories were the ones the most likely to suffer from conflagrations, it was they who supplied the manpower for the bucket brigades as well as providing the necessary firefighting equipment for the respective towns.

As early as 1891, the American Cement Company maintained a fire station on their property in Egypt where two chemical engines and a Silsby engine were housed. The Phoenix Fire Company no 1 of Ferndale became Fullerton’s first fire department organized in 1892.

In 1909, pressures were mounting from all villages for the township to supply firefighting apparatus. In response to public outcry, on February 8 1909, the commissioners unanimously passed a resolution offering a chemical engine to each of the towns that desired fire protection

Before the township would spend $1,500 for each engine, however, the villages had to meet specific requirements. Because the township had no central municipal facilities, the conditions of the agreement were 1) that each town had to build or rent a station to house the engine at their own expense 2) the house had to be large enough to accommodate one or more jail cells and 3) it had to have a meeting room large enough to be used by both the fire department and the township commissioners.

Fullerton was the first to meet the township’s strict qualifications and received the promised fire engine in 1912. While ownership of the apparatus remained with the township all bylaws governing the various fire companies were subject to approval and under the control of the fire and police committee under the Whitehall township board of commissioners.

Later on in the 1900’s all five stations were combine into one known as the Whitehall fire department which now provides 24/7 services to the 24,800+ citizens and 13.1 square miles of Whitehall Township. Whitehall fire department has 125 active volunteer firefighters which operate the 19 pieces of fire equipment which included 8 fire pumpers, 2 rescue trucks, 2 dive units with boats, 2 utility trucks, 1 aerial truck, 1 brush truck, 1 chief’s truck, 1 fire police unit, 1 haz-mat trailer.

The Whitehall fire department runs approximately 900 calls a year among the five stations. Besides run fire calls in Whitehall we also provide mutual aid for are neighboring town/boroughs. We also provide water rescue service to Whitehall and the neighboring 4 counties. Whitehall fire also provides haz-mat services and many of different public relation events. One of are main public services events is in October when we do over 35 fire prevention programs in are schools and daycares.