Wheaton Then and Now: Mitchell's Crossroads

Before it was Wheaton, it was Mitchell’s Crossroads. The crossroads were named for Richard T. Mitchell, a tavern owner, located at the northwest intersection of Georgia Avenue and University Boulevard.

There are two versions of how Wheaton got its name. One is that George Plyer (Plyers Mill Road is named for him), a union soldier who fought alongside General Wheaton in the battle of Fort Stevens, was given the honor of naming  the post office for the area. He called it Wheaton after his commanding officer, General Wheaton, who he considered a hero of the battle.

The second version claims that a Col. Eccleston who fought in that same battle was the spouse of Martha Brown, an influential resident of the community and personal friend of General Wheaton, was given the naming rights. Wheaton’s valor at Fort Stevens was responsible either way.

In 1865, a map showed the Wheaton Post Office located at the Northeast corner of Forest Glen Road and Georgia Avenue. 

A map in 1904 shows the Wheaton Post Office at Mitchells Crossroads. The post office was housed in Hickerson’s General Store until the 1920s.  The present post office at Amherst Avenue was established in 1947.

Mitchell’s Tavern burned down in 1940.   Today, the northwest corner is home to the new Anchor Inn building, with Samantha’s Bakery and El Pollo Rico.