Westerville Ammunitions Mfg Site Goes to Horses

In 1962 the United States Department of Defense donated  111 acres of land to the City of Westerville. It has been abandoned for years. During World War II, Kilgore Manufacturing Co was one of only three plants for incendiary bombs during World War II.  

From the Columbus Dispatch: “The company made the ammunitions that then-Lt. Col. Jimmy Dolittle used for air strikes over Japan in 1942,” attorney Ron Kuis said. “The company remained in business through the Korean War and later filed for bankruptcy,” Kuis said.

During the summer of 2007, Otterbein had planned to clean up the site and sell it to a homebuilder. Neighbors worried that removing dirt from the site could stir up unhealthy chemicals and the plan was trashed. Now everyone is happy because the vacant 111-acre site will be used for Otterbein College’s Equine Center. They plan horse barns, grazing land and riding areas for Otterbein College students. The new center will cost $3 million. 63 years after the war ended, 31 acres on the site remain contaminated and need to be cleaned up. These 31 acres will be fenced in for safety. The school can  begin using the remaining land right away. read more. . .

Related: Otterbein suing over promised cleanup of WWII munitions factory