How Did Chevy Chase Lake Get Its Name?
Why is the Chevy Chase Lake neighborhood called "Chevy Chase Lake" if there's no lake there?
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A bike rental truck is parked next to the Chevy Chase Lake Citgo station, which lists gas prices for Wednesday afternoon, June 29, 2011.
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Chevy Chase Lake is the name of a neighborhood that straddles Connecticut Avenue between Jones Bridge Road and Chevy Chase Lake Drive.
Chevy Chase Lake got its name from a lake that was created around the turn of the 20th century when a dam was built at Coquelin Run to supply power for a nearby amusement park located at the end of the Connecticut Avenue streetcar line.
Once the depression was in full swing, the amusement park went out of business, and the lake dried up. The name, however, stuck.
What else do you know about the history of Chevy Chase Lake? Tell us in the comments!
ED
8:08 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
I believe Chevy Chase Lake Swim Club was located in the "green area" on Connecticut Avenue between the railroad tracks (aka Crescent Trail) and the country club until the 1960's. A senior living building now sits on part of the original site.
Sasha
10:28 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Exactly so, Ed. I believe that after the amusement part closed the pool remained. Eventually the pool came to be known as "Chevy Chase Lake" which prompted questions about why is a pool a lake.
Laura L Thornton
1:09 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wow - that's an interesting part of the story! I'd not heard of the pool. When I first started covering Chevy Chase, I was scanning the map, looking for a lake...
The Big Egg
11:13 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Ah, the good old days, when one could create a lake, or let it dry up, without getting sued by the EPA regarding wetlands or endangered species.
ED
3:55 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Here's an interesting link to an article about a 1937 request by G. C. Heon for a beer and wine license at "Chevy Chase Lake Swimming Pool":
http://mdhistory.net/msa_sc3354_1_1/scm7388/pdf/msa_sc3354_1_1_scm7388-0525.pdf
I believe the Heon's were also part owners of the S&H theaters that included a theater in Wheaton Plaza in the 1960's.
Anne Goodwin
7:03 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Ed, I think that chain of theatres included the Georgetown, located on Wisconsin Ave. in Georgetown. We saw many movies there before it was sold. I heard it's now a jewelry store, but don't know for sure.
Laura L Thornton
7:09 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Hi Ed - Wow - this is really interesting! How did you find this newspaper piece?
Laura L Thornton
7:06 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Hi Anne - I think I know what building you're talking about in Georgetown - I remember thinking it must have some history - it looks like a movie theater-turned-upscale-pawn-shop. But, something tells me the jewelry store closed. I'll take a look next time I'm in Georgetown.
ED
7:34 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Laura - I just googled "Chevy Chase Lake Swim" and found the newspaper piece.
Anne - I tried to find out whether the Georgetown theater was owned by S&H (Sichelman & Heon), but couldn't find anything on-line. I did find that the chain was called S & H Theatre's and I know they had various theaters in the area.
Laura & Anne - a picture of the Georgetown, turned jewelry store, can be seen at: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/6898
Laura L Thornton
7:36 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Thanks, Ed! I wonder why I ever thought it was a pawn store...maybe because of the formstone exterior. I've never been in it, anyway.
Robert Hall
2:03 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012
Grandparents and the older residents all described the amusement park as having been on the eastern side of Connecticut along side the "Lake." The swim club on the west side was open well into the '60s. It was a great place to go with friends after a Saturday spent earning money by cutting neighborhood lawns. We walked down "the tracks" through Columbia Country Club dodging the occasional freight train from our homes in what is now "East Bethesda."
Laura L Thornton
2:42 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012
That's a great memory for a hot day like today!