The Archive and Research Center is free and open to the public Tuesdays 10am to 12 Noon and 1pm to 3pm.
To make a research appointment outside of open hours, please contact us at 301-656-6141 or info@chevychasehistory.org.
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.
An Illustrated Talk on Nathan Franklin Barrett, 1845-1919, Landscape ArchitectWednesday, November 16, 2022 - 7:30pmJoin former CCHS Archive and Research Director, Gail Sansbury, for a closer look at the career of Nathan Barrett – his family, his life work, his ideas, and his many projects, including his plan for Chevy Chase, Maryland. Barrett was a founding member of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1899 and a Commissioner of the Palisades Inter-State Park, nominated by Theodore Roosevelt, 1900-1915. He is known for his formal gardens, especially for his wealthy clients in the Gilded Age. But Barrett also designed plans for factory towns, the most famous of which is the Town of Pullman, in Chicago. Few of his professional papers and plans have been found, but Sansbury’s research has revealed additional projects, some quite unusual! Advanced Registration is required. Register here.
Image of Mrs. Auchincloss's Garden at Hammersmith Farm, Newport, RI, designed by Nathan F. Barrett
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CCHS 2022 Spring Lecture now available CCHS Archive and Research Director Beth Huffer presented the virtual 2022 Spring lecture, "Chevy Voices: Treasures from the Oral History Collection" on April 7, 2022. She led viewers through the history of the CCHS oral history program and used interview audio clips, photographs, and transcript excerpts to give a textured look at what life was like growing up, raising a family, or working in Chevy Chase, from as early as the 1910s. This program was made possible by a grant from the Maryland Center for History and Culture. |
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CCHS 2021 Fall Lecture now available Historian Paige Glotzer presented the virtual 2021 Fall Lecture,"Suburban Developers and The Making of Urban Inequality" on December 1, 2021. The lecture described how developers of planned suburbs from 1890-1960 shaped the mechanisms of a housing market in which racial exclusion and profit are intertwined. Chevy Chase opened as one of the nation’s first streetcar suburbs in 1892. |
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