In light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in our region, the Chevy Chase Historical Society is joining other cultural institutions in acting to help contain the virus and is closing the Archives and Research Center to the public until further notice.

The health, safety, and well-being of our community is a top priority for CCHS. Staff will be working remotely, and we intend to continue non-public operations in ways that keep our team safe.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the Chevy Chase Historical Society and our mission. We wish you, and those you care about, good health in the days ahead.

Welcome

In 1890, a new kind of neighborhood began to take shape on former farmland at the edge of Washington, D.C. The modern planned community of Chevy Chase, Maryland was designed to take advantage of a revolutionary mode of rapid transit: the streetcar. This electric-powered conveyance made commuting from a home in the country to work in the nation’s capital fast, easy and convenient. Residents of Chevy Chase enjoyed the best of both worlds – and they made the most of each! 

Today’s residents and members of the Chevy Chase Historical Society protect and treasure the character of their community while they welcome the best aspects of the future. We welcome you to join us – and to explore our history.

Corona Chronicles

The Chevy Chase Historical Society is documenting the history Chevy Chase residents are all making as we manage life during COVID-19. Add your story to the CCHS Corona Chronicles!

We are collecting photos, videos, journal and diary entries, voice and audio recordings and other digital evidence of life in our community during this unprecedented time. Tell us about how you are coping, what you are thankful for, and the “silver linings” you’ve discovered. Write to us about your experiences working from home, social distancing, attending school remotely, and more.

Share your story using this form.

To use our form, you will need a Google account. If you do not have one, email your materials to CoronaChronicles@chevychasehistory.org.

Your stories will become part of the broader history of Chevy Chase during this challenging time, and a resource for future historians. CCHS will feature select submissions in occasional emails and on social media. Sign up for our email list and follow us on Facebook to see these submissions.

Visit the CCHS Archive & Research Center After calling the Chevy Chase Library home for more than 15 years, the CCHS Archive and Research Center has moved to a larger space at 8401 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 1010 in historic Chevy Chase Lake. Drop by without an appointment on Tuesdays, between 10am and noon or 1pm and 3pm. Or call to make an appointment.

Kit Houses in Chevy Chase, Maryland Nationally recognized kit house scholar Kathryn Holt Springston presented Certificates of Authentication to owners of 11 kit houses she authenticated for the Chevy Chase Historical Society’s first kit house survey in 2017. Click here to see the authenticated houses! If your house was built between 1900 and 1940 and looks like any of these houses, it might be a kit house delivered to the freight rail siding near Chevy Chase Lake by Sears Roebuck or another manufacturer. If you’d like Kathryn Springston to measure your house for possible kit house authentication, please contact kithouses@chevychasehistory.org to learn what’s involved.