Pittsburgh Suburbs: History of Crescent Township

Crescent Township

A Brief History of Crescent Township





History of Crescent township




The township of Crescent was created in 1855. It got its name because it was formed from a portion of Moon Township. The township has two unincorporated villages in the township—Glenwillard and Wireton. Crescent was founded back in 1784-1785. The area was settled by Revolutionary War soldiers who bought their land from the Commonwealth of PA. A son of German immigrants, Peter Shouse, came to Crescent with his family in the 1880s. He purchased a location called “Limerick Landing” that was approximately 20 feet deep. It was a great location for launching new boats. Muddy roads made getting to the polls in Moon Township hard, so a petition was prepared to see if Allegheny County could establish another township. That was granted in 1855 and the new municipality was then called Crescent.



Facts about Crescent Township

History of Crescent township




Some fun Crescent trivia includes scenes from the movie The Silence of the Lambs were filmed in the Glenwillard section of the neighborhood. Famous songwriter Lou Christie grew up in the town and went to Moon High School. John Calipari, an NCAA men’s basketball coach, lived in Crescent when he was an assistant for coach Paul Evans at Pitt. Surrounding Crescent neighborhoods include Moon Township, Beaver County neighborhoods South Heights and Hopewell Township. Crescent is also near Leetsdale, which is just across the river.

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1 thought on “Pittsburgh Suburbs: History of Crescent Township”

  1. Lived in Glenwillard 1st thru 4th grade. First boyfriend was Lou Christie, we even hung on the wall at church for a Christmas service. Mrs. Bishop made pancakes for anyone who brought a plate on Sun. mornings. Great neighborhood good memories.

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