A Journey To Old Wheaton Wheaton is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland along the Georgia Avenue Corridor about 5 miles north of Washington, D.C. A Metro station is in the heart of downtown Wheaton. I know the area well from my many years living in Washington, D.C.
Written for the Images of America series of pictorial local histories, Laura-Leigh Palmer's 2009 book on Wheaton taught me much about the community that I didn't know. Palmer, a former president of the local Chamber of Commerce, had to research her history almost from scratch as Wheaton does not have a local history society and little specific had been written about the community's past. Palmer did a commendable job with her research, particularly because she is an amateur historian who operates a business for a living.
I didn't know the origin of the name "Wheaton". In 1864, Confederate troops under General Jubal Early conducted an unsuccessful raid down today's Georgia Avenue Corridor on Washington, D.C. The Union repelled the charge at Fort Stevens and the commander of the Union regulars was General Frank Wheaton. Shortly after the Civil War, the then rural community six miles north of Fort Stevens was named for the general, and the name has lasted.
Most of Palmer's book shows rare photographs with running text of Wheaton's early history. The area remained rural and undeveloped for a surprisingly long time and was sparsely populated. The area consisted of a mix of large estates and small hardscrabble farms. Palmer offers the reader a great deal of information about people and places.
In the 1920's, Wheaton remained a rural community, but it became the center of a growing radio and beginning television industry. It retained this status into the 1950s. The book includes photographs and discussions of this aspect of Wheaton which, like the farm communities, is now only a memory.
With the growth in population after WW II, Wheaton became urbanized at last. When it did, it grew rapidly. This part of the story was of most interest to me because it captured the growth of the area I know. Palmer shows how Wheaton became populous and cluttered with traffic -- as it remains with a vengeance today. She shows the development and various reinventions of Wheaton Plaza/Westfield Mall which, when it was constructed in the 1950's was a pioneering shopping center and one of the nation's largest. I have visited the Mall countless times over the years. The book shows changes in the business district, roughly adjacent to the Mall, at the intersection of three large roads, Georgia Avenue, Viers Mill Road, and University Boulevard. It was good seeing the development of an area where I walk, browse stores, and shop.
A final section of the book describes the lovely Wheaton Regional Park, just south of downtown Wheaton. Palmer again presents old photographs of what to me have become familiar sites, including the botanical gardens and arboretum and the play area with its miniature railroad, carousel, and ice skating rink. I enjoyed being reminded of the Park, where I have had many happy times, and learning its history.
This is a fine book of local history that preserves the story of what is today a vibrant Washington, D.C. community. I was able to blend my own experiences with a bit of history.
