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History of Fox Chapel Borough...
Location
Situated northeast of the City of Pittsburgh, Fox Chapel is only
twelve miles from the Golden Triangle. The Borough covers nearly eight and
one-half square miles and extends approximately five miles north of
the Allegheny River. Fox Chapel is surrounded by the Borough of Aspinwall
and the Townships of Harmar, Indiana and O'Hara.
History
Until the latter part of the 18th century, Native American tribes hunted
and fished in this general area. The first settler in the Fox Chapel area
was James Powers, who arrived around 1790.
Among the early landowners in the area was James O'Hara, a Revolutionary Army
General and prominent Pittsburgh businessman. During the depression of
1818, O'Hara was saved from financial ruin by the side counsel of one James
Ross, a noted lawyer and former Senator. As an expression of gratitude,
O'Hara
gave Ross 1,700 acres of land which is now part of Fox Chapel and comprises the
Delafield Estates section of the Borough, as well as the development along
Buckingham Road known as the "Ross Meadows Plan of Lots".1
Fox Chapel was originally part of O'Hara and Indiana Townships. In 1928,
approximately forty property owners assembled at Shady Side Academy and voted to
incorporate the Fox Chapel District Association. The matters of immediate
concern to the Association were fire and police protection, and the directors
took action to meet these needs. As time went on, the District Association
addressed other concerns of its members including naming of roads, development
and zoning. However, by 1933 the District Association had grown concerned
that its interests were at variance with those of both Townships, and a petition
was filed to allow the formation of a new borough. Despite vigorous
opposition by both Townships, on August 3, 1934, the Court ordered the
incorporation of Fox Chapel Borough from 6.8 square miles of O'Hara Township and
0.4 square miles of Indiana Township. Over the years, the Borough's
government has been so efficient and satisfactory that other residents adjacent
to the Borough have petitioned Council for annexation, increasing the area of
the Borough to its present size of approximately 8.5 square miles.2
Fox Chapel constantly strives to defend and maintain its special ambience.
One of our most important tasks is to preserve this position. Not only it
is desirable for Fox Chapel, it is desirable for the entire Pittsburgh area.
Our wooded hills and uncrowded residential developments are a valuable regional
asset. Fox Chapel is a classic example of what can be done to preserve
openness and spaciousness in the very midst of urbanization and
industrialization.
(1) FOX CHAPEL, The Story of a District, Elizabeth K. Botset, George B. Waldrop,
Published by the Fox Chapel District Association, 1954, 2nd Ed. 1972
(2)Ibid.
For more information on early history of the Fox Chapel Borough Area, see Fox
Chapel District Associations website's
section on history.
The Naming of
Fox Chapel Borough
The name "Fox Chapel" comes from John Fox, who immigrated from Germany in
1831 and farmed the land around the present Faith United Methodist Church until his death in
1889. Shortly after his death his daughter, Eliza Fox Teats, donated some
land to the Methodist Protestant Church for a chapel to be named in honor of her
father.3
(3) FOX CHAPEL, A History of an Area and Its People, Frances C. Hardie, R.R.
Donnelley Financial, Copyright 1987
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