A petition signed by 91 residents of Chippewa Township was presented at the June term of court in 1887 to set up their area as a separate municipality. On September 5, the viewers reported favorably for division, and the voters approved it in the November election of 1887.
The name "White" was suggested to the court at the time of the decree and was given in honor of John White, one of the area's first settlers. He owned about 450 acres of land where the B&W plant and Morado in Beaver Falls are now located. Thomas White, son of John, was born on the homestead farm which was located near the former site of the West Mayfield Dairy. (The younger White built the stone house now standing on Fourth Avenue, College Hill).
The Steffen Hill United Presbyterian Church originated in White Township (even though it now stands in Chippewa). This church was started in 1919 in a small building on the Charles Figley property. It later moved to a building on the rear of the present lot. Coal mining was part of White Township's industry. One mine, located near Steffen Hill, made coke at the mine site; another was that of William Clayton. Clay was also mined in the area for the production of bricks. Both the mine and the brick works were located at a site near the Pennsylvania Railroad. In addition to these industries, White Township also had a stone quarry. It operated for a number of years, and much of the old stone curbing in Beaver Falls came from the quarry. A meat packing plant was also a manufacturing concern until recently.
White Township was considerably reduced in area and population when College Hill Borough was incorporated in 1892. Later, the Borough of West Mayfield separated from White Township, taking a large portion of the land in the north section. It was incorporated on August 29, 1923, leaving White Township only .72 square miles and making it one of the smallest townships in Pennsylvania. In 1958, the township joined with Beaver Falls and Eastvale to form a larger school district which is now part of the Big Beaver Falls Area Schools.