Evening star., 1940-08-16
Street Name Changes
Drawn for Bethesda
And Chevy Chase
Commission Anticipates
Some Objections Before
PIons Are Carried Out

With the street remaining project
in Silver Spring successfully COM
pleted, the Maryland-National Cap
ital Park and Planning Commission
today started rearranging the map
of the Bethesda Chevy Chase area.
Tentative plans for street renam-
ing in the latter section call for
establishment of an alphabetical
system similar TO that in the Dis
trict, and, If possible. supplementing
the already established District pat
tern.
However, Park and Planning Com
mission officials were anticipating
some objections on the part Of resi-
dents in the Chevy Chase area,
where street names. in many cases,
have an historical significance.
Chevy Chase is one of the oldest
residential areas in Montgomery
County.
Charles M. Jones. who is in charge
of the remaining Of streets in the
entire suburban area for the COM
mission, said today that plans now
being drawn up will be submitted
to civic organizations and residents
| in various areas before final adop-
| ton in order to avoid any serious
controversy. The same policy was
followed in changing the names Of
streets in Silver Spring.
Order and System Sought.
The project is designed TO elinli-
nate Implications and establish a sys-
tematic layout to facilitate emer-
gency calls by police and regular
deliveries by commercial firms and
dispel the difficulties arising from
changes in street names on either
side of subdivision boundary lines,
Mr. Jones explained.
Tentative plans call for continu-
ing the alphabetical naming from
the District to the Maryland area.
Oliver street in the District is con-
tinued on the Maryland side under
the same name in Chevy Chase, but
west OF Wisconsin avenue becomes
Dorset street. Patterson street in
the District becomes Grafton street
in Chevy Chase and combinations
| of other District streets in Mary
land have no relation in name 10
the same street In the District.
In the Chevy Chase area. streets
! ,oI1 -
nue. follow in alphabetical order
from Chevy Chase circle to the
East-West highway. but the new
program contemplates system
which will match that of the Dis
trict and at the same time can be
extended northward as residential
areas spread out. Mr. Jones said.
Adaptations May Be Made.
Should the expected opposition
develop in the Chevy Chase section,
arrangements will be made to adapt
the master plan to local conditions,
Mr.. Jones emphasized Chevy Chase
was established in 1890 largely from
the holdings of the late Joseph
Bradley, but the name has history
dating back several centuries which
residents of the area may not wish
to forget. he admitted. The name
first appears in the Maryland land
records in a grant from Lord Balti-
more in 1871 to Col. Joseph Belt.
founder of Rock Greek Parish and
colonel of the Prince Georges Coun-
ty Militia in the French and In
dian War, who died in 1851. The
name in the original grant was
spelled Chevy Chase, but in the
ensuing years the ''i" was dropped
and the present spelling appears IN
, all the later records. The name
| CHEVY Chase comes from English
history and the names OF many
, Chevy Chase streets, such as Oxford.
MelroSe. LennoX and Primrose, are
well known in English history.
A few are more modern, Newland
street having been named after the
: late Senator Newland of Nevada.
one of the founders of the Chevy
: Chase Land Co., developers OF the
area