Wheaton Then and Now: Notable Dates and Names

Did you know these notable dates and names in Wheaton's history?

1862 – General Frank Wheaton marched through Leesborough (Wheaton), from Fort Stevens (off of what is now Piney Branch Road, west of Georgia Avenue, Northwest District of Columbia) going north. Troops also used what is now Veirs Mill Road.

1864 – Various minor battles resulted in many Confederate soldiers dying along the 7th Street Pike, now Georgia Avenue. They were buried just a few miles south of the Wheaton Central Business District at Grace Episcopal Church in the Woodside neighborhood of Silver Spring.

1869 – George F. Plyer became Postmaster. Plyers Mill Road is named for his family.

1870 – Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was established at 11005 Dayton Street, Wheaton. It was named for Richard Allen, a former slave who had bought his freedom in 1782 for $2,000. He was not allowed to pray in the segregated church and vowed to establish his own church. With two friends, he did form the first black denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Allen Chapel was among the first seven original AME churches in the nation. Founding members were Henry Walker and George and Jerry Gaither, who became trustees. They purchased the land for building the church from William and Lucretia Batchelor. The Batchelors sold the one-acre property for $100. This area was formerly known as “Providence”. The church was established by Henry Walker and George and Jerry Gaither 39 years after Allen’s death. The founding members are buried in the cemetery in front of the church. The building is now occupied by the New Creation Church.

Late 1800’s – Wheaton Lane, a street off of Inwood Avenue, and areas around it became a center for freed and escaping slaves. This area is where many blacks lived. The Gaither brothers, Richard and Jerry were the first blacks to purchase two homes north of Hickerson Drive in Wheaton.

1883 – The Civil Service Act of 1883 created additional federal jobs, which made areas in Montgomery County close to the District of Columbia and Wheaton an attractive place to settle for government workers.

1914 – H. C. Hickerson succeeded Lt. Carroll Cissell as storekeeper (Hickerson General Store). Hickerson Drive off Georgia, north of University Boulevard, was named for his family. The first gas pumps were installed there in 1910 or 1914. The store also housed the Wheaton Post office and Edward Stubbsserved as Postmaster.

More notable dates are coming in January with notable families and their contributions to Wheaton.

Let us know in the comments section what you know about Wheaton history.