This week I have been talking with my friend Dixon Shrum, who is a lifelong member, and elder and trustee, of the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. We were initially talking about my post, two back, about Susan Lee Crabbe Hunt, and the Pitcairn-Crabbe Foundation. Dixon told me he is quite pleased with my research and article, which means so much to me, since he served as the President of Pitcairn-Crabbe for twelve years.
Well aware of my past service at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, he then related to me that when Shadyside was spearheading the creation of new Presbyterian churches in Allegheny County, a group of Shadyside members met in his parents' home, in about 1945-1946, to discuss starting the church in Fox Chapel.
So, I asked Dixon where their house was. And he described it and I knew which house he was talking about, immediately. It is the big dressed-stone house high above Fox Chapel Road, (house number 350), with sweeping views of the Fox Chapel Golf Club course.
Dixon said that his parents George Dixon Shrum and Erma Shrum had the house built starting on Labor Day Weekend in 1939, and it was completed in January of 1940. Pretty remarkable for such a fine piece of architecture. The Shrums lived in their home until 1960, and Dixon grew up there. One of the later owners was Tony O'Reilly of H J Heinz, in the years 1971-1998, who used to commute to and from work in a helicopter. (There is a helipad on the grounds of the house). Currently it is the home of the famous racecar driver and team owner Chip Ganassi, whose mom, Marie, a very dear lady, was a member of Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church when I was serving there, and for many years before and after.
This information about the start of Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church was all new news to me. And I believe it might be new news for most of the people who are at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, today. So I thought it would be good to make a note of it here, for future reference. Church histories can get dimmed and forgotten if they are not written down and noted. Thanks, Dixon, for sharing this with me!
