The Somerset Historic District
4510
Cumberland Avenue
Chevy
Chase, MD 20815
301-657-3211
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Town Historic District on Web
By Lesley Anne Simmons
reprinted from Somerset Town Journal, April 2002
Did you know that Charles Wise, the Town's second Clerk-Treasurer, was paid $2 per meeting for writing minutes, drafting letters for the Town, keeping the accounts and hosting meetings of the Town Council in his front parlor? Or that Salmonella poisoning was discovered by, and named after, one of the Town's earliest residents, Dr. Daniel Salmon? Or that two of the houses in our Town are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places? Or that when the beautiful clapboard houses with graceful front porches were built on Warwick Place in the early 20th century, some older residents felt that they "cheapened the neighborhood" because they were so small?
Inspired by the approaching Preservation Week, two neighbors have joined forces to launch a new section on the Town's Web site featuring these stories and more, in a virtual tour of the Town's historic and interesting properties.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation created Preservation Week in 1971 to spotlight grass-roots preservation efforts around the country. It will be observed this year (2002) the week of May 12. It has grown into an annual celebration observed from small towns to big cities, with events ranging from tours, reenactments and rallies to black-tie balls and national competitions.
Tour a Home Demolished 40 Years Ago
Lesley Simmons has written architectural descriptions and histories and taken photographs, and Gayley Knight has used them to design a virtual tour of the Town's historic district. You can even take a virtual tour of a home that was torn down almost 40 years ago. The virtual tour complements the Town Web site's excellent history of Somerset prepared by Helen Jaszi.
Each year, Preservation Week highlights a different aspect of historic preservation. This year's theme, Preserving the Spirit of Place, is a celebration of America's diverse history and how historic preservation helps save the heritage. Somerset's virtual tour helps to preserve the spirit of our Town by bringing to life the stories of the homes and people who have lived in them over the last century or more.
The histories are researched from public sources: the Town's histories written by Helen Jaszi and Dorothy O'Brien, published histories of the County, and documents from the Maryland Historical Trust. Anyone wishing to contribute information about the history of their home for inclusion in the virtual tour should contact the Historic Committee office at the Town Hall.