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Celebrating One of America's First Street Car Suburbs
Young Boaters in Chevy Chase Lake
Celebrating One of America's First Street Car Suburbs
Celebrating One of America's First Street Car Suburbs
Thornapple Street Newspaper
Celebrating One of America's First Streetcar Suburbs
Chevy Chase Reservoir Hike September 3, 1916
Celebrating One of America's First Streetcar Suburbs
Chevy Chase Maryland Man and Woman on horseback with dogs riding to Fox Hunt
Celebrating One of America's First Streetcar Suburbs
Thomas Fisher Map of Chevy Chase
Celebrating One of America's First Streetcar Suburbs
Chevy Chase Streetcar
Celebrating One of America's First Streetcar Suburbs
Chevy Chase Fourth of July Parade with Isiah Leggett
Celebrating One of America's First Streetcar Suburbs
Celebrating One of America's First Streetcar Suburbs

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in our region, the Chevy Chase Historical Society has closed the Archive and Research Center to the public until further notice. Staff is working remotely, and we will continue non-public operations in ways that keep our team safe. You are welcome to contact us at 301-656-6141 or info@chevychasehistory.org. 

Thank you for your interest in the Chevy Chase Historical Society. We wish you good health in these challenging times.

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.

 

CCHS 2021 Spring Lecture now available
on the CCHS YouTube Channel

William Rowley, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Nevada-Reno reviews the life of Francis G. Newlands, a US Congressman and Senator from Nevada and a visionary real estate developer in the late 19th century. Though progressive on most issues, Newlands also held and espoused racist views and beliefs that we find repugnant today. Professor Rowley describes both the accomplishments and the disturbing racism reflected in Newlands’ complex life in the CCHS 2021 Spring Lecture, “A Closer Look at Chevy Chase Founder Francis Newlands.” 

  

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.

 

CCHS 2020 Fall Lecture now available
on the CCHS YouTube Channel

Historian, journalist and author Rebecca Boggs Roberts describes the 1913 suffrage parade that turned the tide in women’s long fight for the right to vote in the CCHS 2020 Fall Lecture, “Marching for the Vote: The 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession.” 

  

A Message from CCHS, June 15, 2020

Like so many of you, we at CCHS have been deeply affected by the death of George Floyd and the ensuing events throughout the country. We feel the same shock, sadness and anger that are reverberating across our community, our nation, and indeed the entire world. Even as we struggle with the public health and economic crises of the COVID pandemic, the racial injustice of our past and our present has been laid bare.
 
We at CCHS stand shoulder to shoulder with those fighting for human equality, social justice, and the dignity of every individual. Our community’s history of accomplishment is accompanied by a history of racial and religious discrimination and inequity. Acknowledging that fact is part of CCHS’ mission to collect, record, interpret and share our local history. We must learn from our history, and also unlearn the attitudes and behaviors that manifest injustice or bias.
 
Now more than ever, CCHS commits to the values of inclusion, empathy, humility, and respect for all persons. We will move forward with open hearts, open minds, and open arms.
 
Mary A. Sheehan
President
and the CCHS Board of Directors

 

The Chevy Chase Historical Society is supported in part by a grant from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County