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.

Watch the Video of the CCHS Fall Lecture!

“Rock Creek Park, Chevy Chase’s Wild, Wooded Neighbor”

Naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley and historian Scott Einberger teamed up to share photographs and stories from two new books about Rock Creek Park at the Chevy Chase Historical Society’s Fall Lecture on Sunday, November 23, at the Jane E. Lawton Community Center in the Town of Chevy Chase, MD.

Click HERE to watch the video of the CCHS Fall Lecture Program.

School Photographs and Children’s Newspapers

Our collection of class photographs of students at Chevy Chase Elementary School is growing, thanks to the kind donations of alumni. Please let us know if you have school photos that you would like to donate to CCHS for our collection.

And if you are interested in yearbooks, we have lists for both Leland Junior High HERE and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School HERE. (Just click on the links.) Take a look at the lists and let us know if you would like to donate a copy that we do not already have in our collection.

The children in this photograph were students at Chevy Chase Elementary, then known as Rosemary. Those standing in the front row were also well-known in the neighborhood as the writers/publishers of the Thornapple Street News.  Read all about their newspaper HERE.

The Chevy Chase Historical Society takes no position on ANC 3G (Chevy Chase, DC) Commissioner Gary Thompson’s recent proposal to rename the fountain in Chevy Chase Circle. Nor do we refute or deny any of Francis Newlands’s racist words or actions that are a matter of public record and have been well-documented over the years. CCHS’s sole interest in this matter is to help residents and decision-makers access the most accurate and authoritative information on the topic. In that spirit, we have prepared a letter commenting on Mr. Thompson’s proposal,correcting certain factual errors in his proposed Resolution, and placing Senator Newlands in historical context. We invite the public to read that letter by clicking HERE.  And we encourage everyone interested in additional information to visit the CCHS Archive and Research Center (address and hours below).