Did you know Chevy Chase was once farmland? Imagine the scene. Rolling hills dotted with wildflowers not towering buildings. This wasn’t always the affluent suburb we know today. Chevy Chase Maryland and its neighboring D.C. area trace their roots back to a land patent granted in 1725 to Colonel Joseph Belt. He named it Cheivy Chace a name with links to a 1388 battle in the Cheviot Hills.
The true transformation began in the late 1800s thanks to Senator Francis G. Newlands and his partners. They had a vision a streetcar suburb for Washington DC. They formed the Chevy Chase Land Company. Their ambitious plan included extending Connecticut Avenue north into Maryland. They built a costly electric railway. A water and sewer system was installed. Roads and infrastructure followed.
Newlands’s vision wasn’t entirely altruistic. He was a white supremacist. He and his company implemented strategies to keep Chevy Chase exclusively wealthy and white. Deed restrictions mandated expensive houses effectively excluding most non-white people. Commerce was banned from residential neighborhoods. This ensured a specific kind of resident. A certain image of affluence.
Chevy Chase Lake was an important part of the early development. It was a man-made lake created by damming Coquelin Run. It powered the streetcars and served as the centerpiece of a trolley park. This park offered boating swimming and other activities. The Chevy Chase Spring Hotel later renamed the Chevy Chase Inn was built to attract visitors. It failed initially and later became a seminary.
The Chevy Chase Hunt Club later the Chevy Chase Club was founded in 1892. It started on the Bradley Farm a site that shows the area’s agricultural past. The area evolved through the 20th century. Restrictive covenants were added to deeds eventually deemed illegal.
Today Chevy Chase is a vibrant community. It boasts upscale shopping districts. The legacy of its founders is complex a mix of ambitious development and problematic social policies. It’s a story of transformation a reminder that even the most idyllic places have a past full of contradictions. The quiet streets and grand homes of Chevy Chase whisper tales of its unique history.