Westerville, OH

Westerville - 'Up On The Housetop'

Is it too early for Christmas songs?

Sunny 95 and some other radio stations don't think so.

As the signs as you enter Westerville say Benjamin R. Handy wrote 'Darling Nelly Gray.' Most people today are probably more familiar with another song written by Hanby, 'Up On The Housetop' a Christmas song. The Ohio Historical Society site for Hanby House in Westerville says the song was originally called 'Santa Claus.'

Hanby House - 160 W. Main Street Westerville Ohio is owned by the Ohio Historical Society and operated by the Westerville Historical Society.

Hanby history - Westerville History on Ohio History Central

I think I always sang the song, "Up on the Rooftop"

'Up On The Housetop'

"Up on the housetop, reindeer pause
Out jumps good ol' Santa Claus
Down through the chimney with lots of toys
All for the little ones, Christmas joys
Ho, Ho, Ho! Who wouldn't go?
Ho, Ho, Ho! Who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click
Down through the chimney with good Saint Nick

First comes the stocking of little Nell
Oh, dear Santa, fill it well
Give her a dolly that laughs and cries
One that will open and shut her eyes
Ho, Ho, Ho! Who wouldn't go?
Ho, Ho, Ho! Who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click
Down through the chimney with good Saint Nick

Next comes the stocking of little Will
Oh, just see what a glorious fill
Here is a hammer and lots of tacks
Also a ball and a whip that cracks
Ho, Ho, Ho! Who wouldn't go?
Ho, Ho, Ho! Who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click
Down through the chimney with good Saint Nick"

Westerville - 'Up On The Housetop' - Benjamin R. Hanby

I believe Hanby left Westerville and moved to Chicago where he died in his early 30's. I think Hanby was living in Chicago when he wrote 'Up On The Housetop" but I could be wrong. Hanby is obviously still Westerville's favorite son to have his name on the sign as you enter the city after all these years.

The underground railroad history is an important part of Westerville's history. The song 'Darling Nelly Gray' is about a runaway slave headed for freedom and his love, Nelly Gray, a slave who had been sold away the night before their wedding.

Westerville - 'Up On The Housetop' - today's Christmas decorations

If you hear the song on the radio, remember it was written by Benjamin R. Hanby.

If you see a sleigh on a Central Ohio roof or "housetop" or a Santa Claus strapped to the Chimney (have you read John Grisham's 'Skipping Christmas'...? I think they were strapping snowmen to their chimney... not Santa Claus) If you see Christmas decorations on Central Ohio 'housetops' think of Benjamin Hanby who was a Westerville resident once upon a time.

More about Westerville Ohio

Westerville's history the underground railroad

Westerville is the BEST place to live in Ohio

Westerville and Gahanna are on 100 Top US Cities List

Westerville homes for sale - November 2009 brought to you by Maureen McCabe

These are homes in Westerville schools so in addition to homes in the City of Westerville this includes homes in the City of Columbus, the Village of Minerva Park and unincorporated areas. The Westerville School District is in both Franklin and Delaware Counties.

These are single family homes only.

Westerville homes for sale - a market report for October 2009

373 homes for sale
94 homes sold in October 2009
4.0 months of inventory based on sales

-31.9% for sale than a year ago.
-56% months of inventory (based on closed Sales) in comparison to October 2008

Average Westerville home active price $266,000
Average Weseterville home sale price $194,000


Westerville homes for sale - neighborhoods

Blendon Township neighborhoods like Glengary Heights, Glengary woods, Hamstead, Huber Ridge (are Huber Ridge and Huber Village the same thing? I see both in MLS... then again I see Huber Heights as subdivision name for a home in Westerville schools and while it's catchy it's the name of a city near Dayton) Sunbury Woods and more in Westerville schools are on the market now.

There are homes for sale in City of Columbus neighborhoods like Blendon Estates, Brandywine Meadows, Tanager Woods, Westerford Village, Westerville Woods, Woods at Blendon, Woodstream and others in the Westerville School District.

Homes in the City of Westerville in neighborhoods such as Annehurst, Brookstone, County Line Acres, Heritage Estates, Hills & Dales, Landings at Hoover, Mariners Cove, Olde Mill, Spring Grove, Woodlake Colony and many more are available now.

Genoa Township neighborhoods like Augusta Woods, Blackhawk Forest, Eagle Trace, Highland Lakes, Medallion, Park Bend, Shellbark Ridge, Sherbrook and others are among the Westerville area homes for sale.

Search for Westerville homes (no sign up required)

Westerville home sales - October 2009

+56.7% home sales in October 2009 over October 2008
Average sale price $194,000
Median price $166,000

Westerville home sales - neighborhood sales in October 2009

Blendon Township neighborhoods including:

Glengary Heights
Glengary Woods
Huber Ridge
Sunbury Woods


City of Columbus neighborhoods inclluding:

Blendon Estates
Brandywine Meadows
Pinewood Colony
Strawberry Farms
The Wilds at Little Turtle
Woods at Blendon


Genoa Township neighborhoods including:

Harvest Wind
Highland Lakes
Parkmoor Estates
Sherbrook

The Village of Minerva Park really does not have subdivsions but 5 homes in the village sold in October including one that had been on the market since 2006 (taken off the market for a very short time so unfortunately, it shows it sold in 15 days not 900 days.

City of Westerville neigborhoods including:

Annehurst
Millstone Creek
"Olde" Westerville
Spring Grove
Village of Westbury
Windsor Bay

Selling your Westerville home


Data published November 2009, based on data available from the Columbus Board of REALTORS® at the end of October 2009. TrendGraphix reports presented are based on data supplied by the Columbus Board of Realtors. According to Trendgraphix neither CBR nor their MLS (multiple listing service ) guarantee or are in anyway responsible for its accuracy. "Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed." Only Real Living HER agents are authorized to use Trendgraphix in Central Ohio. These are single family homes only, earlier months single family and condominium were combined. The 15 months shown in the graph here are single family only.

Westerville History - the Underground Railroad

Benjamin Hanby lived in Westerville as a teen and young man. His father William Hanby was an abolitionist. Hanby House was a station on the Underground Railroard.

The song "Darling Nelly Gray" was the story of an escaped slave Joe Selby on his way to Canada to earn money to free Nelly Gray.

Westerville history - the Underground Railroad

Hanby House - 160 W. Main Street Westerville Ohio is owned by the Ohio Historical Society and operated by the Westerville Historical Society.

The image is the sign as you enter Westerville on W. Main Street with Sharon Woods Metro Park on the south side of the road and the Annehurst subdivision all around.

Westerville History on Ohio History Central

Westerville's history

Westerville is the BEST place to live in Ohio

I was trying to find something about Westerville's history and ended up on the Westerville Libraries website.

Westerville has such an interesting history, the Underground Railroad, the temperance movement and the Whisky Wars including the Anti-Saloon League...

Sometimes I think Westerville has a much more colorful history in many ways than some of it's Central Ohio neighbors.

What I was looking for about Westerville was.... I was thinking Westerville was having a birthday. I keep thinking that Dublin and Westerville are the same age.... I thought Worthington was settled in 1803 and Dublin and Westerville were settled in 1810. I was wrong. I guess Westerville's first white settlers arrived in 1806. The Westervelt's arrived in 1816 and got the city named after them.

Dublin Ohio is celebrating it's bicentennial in 2010

Trying to find Westerville's history I found the Westerville Libraries history.

The Westerville Library was not born until 1930

It turns out the Westerville library was born from the temperance movement or had a strong connecton anyway...

"From its beginnings on the first floor of the residence of Purley Baker, temperance leader in the Anti-Saloon League, the Westerville Public Library has been dedicated to meeting the expanding needs of the community. On December 15, 1930, the library opened with Cora Bailey as Librarian, and within several weeks it contained 3,062 volumes and 885 registered borrowers. Within two years, increased books and patrons created the need to move to the second floor of the municipal building which is today a part of the municipal complex on State Street. The library's newly remodeled three rooms included four tables in the main reading room, a "junior" reading room, and a room for processing and repairing books. From the library's inception, educational programming was important. Programs celebrating National Book Week were held, a children's story hour was established and a tour of the library for first graders was initiated, which still happens today."

Today the Anti-Saloon League and the Westerville Library are still linked. The Anti-Saloon League site is on the Westerville Libraries website.

According to the Anti-Saloon League website that organization was active from 1893 to 1933.

Happy belated birthday Westerville!

Westerville today

Westerville is the BEST place to live in Ohio

Westerville Ohio

Westerville homes for sale - a recent real estate market report

Westerville homes for sale brought to you by Maureen McCabe

The graph is inventory of homes in the Westerville School District. Westerville school district covers the City of Westerville, part of the city of Columbus, the Village of Minerva Park and Blendon and Genoa Townships. That's a lot of ground!

Westerville homes for sale - a market report

505 homes for sale
112 homes sold in September 2009
4.5 months of inventory based on sales

Average active price $244,000
Average sale price $186,000


30% less homes for sale than a year ago.
38.4% less months of inventory (based on closed Sales) in comparison to September 2008

Worthington home sales -September 2009

+12% from September 200

Average sales price $186,000

Westerville homes for sale - neighborhoods

The homes represented in the graph are in neighborhoods in the City of Columbus, City of Westerville, Village of Minerva Park and Blendon and Genoa townships... or anywhere else that is in the Westerville School District...includes neighborhoods in the Westerville school district with a Gahanna mailing address.

Westerville is the best place to live in Ohio and one of the top cities in the US

Search for Westerville area homes

Trendgraphix uses single family and condominium sales combined. The graphs are based on data available at the end of September 2009. The graph was created with data from the Columbus Board of REALTORS® and Trendgraphix. Only Real Living HER agents are authorized to use Trendgraphix in Central Ohio. The MLS information can be broken down much further, City of Westerville, Village of Minerva Park, by ZIP code.