Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1955-09-29


nay is Wheaton. 1t is also the
area that has shown the fastest
and largest rate of growth seen
in the Washington area in mod
ern times.
Ten years ago, Wheaton was a
narrow road and filling station
"a little north of Washington" ;
today it is a booming residential
and commercial area where up
wards of 10000 people live.
For many years, Wheaton re.
manned a place with few dwell
erS and rural characteristics, not
much changed from the time
when Richard T. Mitchell moved
in and opened a tavern and hotel
at the intersection of Old Blad-
ensburg Road and Georgia Ave
nue.. In 1865, MitchelPs tavern
was an established business. 1t
is believed that the building was
built in the zoos.
The area was named for Gen.
Frank Wheaton, a Rhode Island
err who led Northern forces in
the Civil War. The story goes
that Gen. Wheaton saved Wash
ington from Southern invasion
by Tending off Gen. Jubal Early
at FIT. Stevens.
In gratitude for Gen. Whea-
tons act, George Plyer, postmas-
ter at "MitchelIs Crossroads" af-
ter the Civil War, named his post
office and its jurisdiction for the
Rhode Island soldier. An 1878
map calls the area fer him.
After tavern-keeper Mitchell
passed from the Wheaton scene,
the site of his operations was
taken over by G. o. B. Cissell of
Howard County, who made the
eX-hotel a home for his large
family. His store was built at
the intersection of Old Bladens-
burg Road and Georgia Avenue,
About 1890, Mr.. Cissell built two
homes on Georgia Avenue and
sold them to Richard and Jerry
Gather, whose descendants lived
in them well into the 1950's.
The Cissell-SaXon American
Legion Post, active today, was
named for 1t. Carroll Cissell, a
son of the original Cissell who
fought in World War l. His broth
er Herbert, first president of the
Suburban National Bank, lived in
Wheaton as young man.
H. c. Hickerson followed Mr..
Cissell as storekeeper in Whea-
ton in 1914, living for while in
the old tavern. Succeeding store
owners were o. Culver, Edward
Stubs, and a Mr. Welsh and a
Mr.. Harris. The Wheaton post
office, closed in 1920, was reopen
ed in 1947 in that same store build
ing.
1t was torn down in 1851 to
make way for new construction.
The old Mitchell tavern burned
down in 1910.
What might be called the first
of the many shopping centers
that dot Wheaton today was be-
gun in 1922 by DR.. Atchison of
Washington, who built gas sta
ton with an apartment over it
at the Old Bladensburg- Georgia in
terSection. Six years later, he
built several stores adjoining the
station, since combined into the
Naylor Building.
A later owner of the gas sta
ton was A E. Godfrey, who built
another in 1910, at Viers Mill and
Eheaton Roads. This Amoco sta
'Sion is now run by his son-in-law,
Mac" Horsman.
The present site of MAYORS re-
staurant housed several other
food-dispensing firms before the
sea food emporium took over. 1t
first housed McKeever's ice cream
store, then Paul Boyce's Whea-
ton Restaurant.
Unlike these early centers of
commercial activity which have
survived Wheaton's modern boom,
LeeSboro is lost today. An 1878
map places it at the point of the
Wheaton Triangle nearest to
Washington. 1t contained black
smith shop and a hotel run by
M. Erlers.
The northern segment of Whea-
ton, now known as Glenmont, was
called High Steps in the early
days. This name stemmed from
the fact that the local store was
built with living quarters on the
ground floor and the store on the
second story, which was reached
by flight of high steps.
. The pioneer businessman of
NWheaton is John Pendleton, who
moved there in 1914 and opened
Pendleton's Hardware in Deem.
Der 1915, in partnership with his
son. The house cost him $4,000
then; he has since refused S35,.
600 for it.
Before he moved to Wheaton,