Bethesda Historical Society

January 23, 2024 - Bethesda's 153rd birthday!

Bethesda Past draft

Bethesda Past

First Telephone In Bethesda In 1893

Unlike many telephone exchanges in the state of Maryland, the present Wisconsin Avenue Center grew from a few scattered rural area stations of the old Washington Central Exchange (later called Cleveland). No record can be found of an independent telephone company.

 The first telephone in the area was ordered by the Chevy Chase Land Company for the Rock Creek Electric Car Line when the trolley was extended to Chevy Chase Lake. The installation was made in the summer months of 1893 and the following spring an extension of this service was installed in the residence of Robert Dunlop, which overlooked Chevy Chase Lake.

The telephone directory of February, 1895 lists 9 subscribers in the Bethesda Center: Cabin John Hotel, Chevy Chase Club, Chevy Chase Inn, Chevy Chase Land Company, H. Bradley Davidson, John E. Beall, A. T. Bretton, A. B. Browne and Amanda Counselman. The Cabin John Hotel, with its proximity to the busy C. & 0. Canal, had a private line while other subscribers shared many partied rural lines.

 In the spring of 1910 development had reached the point where it was no longer practical to serve the community from the Cleveland Exchange. Work was therefore started in the fall of 1910 on the Bethesda Central. A new common battery board w as put into operation in the spring of 1911 with a total of 50 subscribers. 

 The exchange was located in the living room of Mrs. Ada E. Cunningham’s home at 106 Melrose Avenue (now Cordell Avenue).  Mrs. Cunningham acted as agent for the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company and also handled its switchboard and all clerical work. She received the munificent sum of $35 monthly for her services, including the  iring of relief operators.

 Telephones were not considered a business necessity back in those days. Mr. Walter Perry had one on the wall of his feed store, but when he moved the store to another location he forgot the telephone. He claims he was reminded with a jolt when the monthly bill was received. It seems the only polling place for the entire area was located next door to the abandoned store. From the size of his bill Mr. Perry thinks every ballot box counting in the State of Maryland was reported over his telephone.

 World War I caused a housing shortage in Washington and Bethesda got some of the overflow. By 1920 the number of telephones had jumped from 50 to 1000. When the Exchange was moved in 1928 from Mrs. Cunningham’s home to its present location, 2,855 stations were in service. When the company went to dial operation in 1940 the stations had jumped to 11,635. 

Preparatory to fitting this area into the nationwide scheme of direct distance dialing, the old familiar Bradley and Wisconsin central office names were discarded in favor of Oliver 2, 4 and 6.

 Today the Bethesda Center serves approximately 24,000 customers, using about 45,000 telephones. To meet the continuing demand, some of the area now served from the Bethesda Center will soon be transferred to the office at Viers Mill Road and Connecticut Avenue, more will be served from a new center now under construction at Rockville, and a new center to serve the western portions of the area is in the company’s plans for the future.

Source: Bethesda Not So Old by Gertrude D. Bradley (1956)

Bethesda Past

 

Unlike many telephone exchanges in the state of Maryland, the present Wisconsin Avenue Center grew from a few scattered rural area stations of the old Washington Central Exchange (later called Cleveland). No record can be found of an independent telephone company.

 The first telephone in the area was ordered by the Chevy Chase Land Company for the Rock Creek Electric Car Line when the trolley was extended to Chevy Chase Lake. The installation was made in the summer months of 1893 and the following spring an extension of this service was installed in the residence of Robert Dunlop, which overlooked Chevy Chase Lake.

The telephone directory of February, 1895 lists 9 subscribers in the Bethesda Center: Cabin John Hotel, Chevy Chase Club, Chevy Chase Inn, Chevy Chase Land Company, H. Bradley Davidson, John E. Beall, A. T. Bretton, A. B. Browne and Amanda Counselman. The Cabin John Hotel, with its proximity to the busy C. & 0. Canal, had a private line while other subscribers shared many partied rural lines.

 In the spring of 1910 development had reached the point where it was no longer practical to serve the community from the Cleveland Exchange. Work was therefore started in the fall of 1910 on the Bethesda Central. A new common battery board w as put into operation in the spring of 1911 with a total of 50 subscribers. 

 The exchange was located in the living room of Mrs. Ada E. Cunningham’s home at 106 Melrose Avenue. Mrs. Cunningham acted as agent for the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company and also handled its switchboard and all clerical work. She received the munificent sum of $35 monthly for her services, including the  iring of relief operators.

 Telephones were not considered a business necessity back in those days. Mr. Walter Perry had one on the wall of his feed store, but when he moved the store to another location he forgot the telephone. He claims he was reminded with a jolt when the monthly bill was received. It seems the only polling place for the entire area was located next door to the abandoned store. From the size of his bill Mr. Perry thinks every ballot box counting in the State of Maryland was reported over his telephone.

 World War I caused a housing shortage in Washington and Bethesda got some of the overflow. By 1920 the number of telephones had jumped from 50 to 1000. When the Exchange was moved in 1928 from Mrs. Cunningham’s home to its present location, 2,855 stations were in service. When the company went to dial operation in 1940 the stations had jumped to 11,635. 

Preparatory to fitting this area into the nationwide scheme of direct distance dialing, the old familiar Bradley and Wisconsin central office names were discarded in favor of Oliver 2, 4 and 6.

 Today the Bethesda Center serves approximately 24,000 customers, using about 45,000 telephones. To meet the continuing demand, some of the area now served from the Bethesda Center will soon be transferred to the office at Viers Mill Road and Connecticut Avenue, more will be served from a new center now under construction at Rockville, and a new center to serve the western portions of the area is in the company’s plans for the future.

Source: Bethesda Not So Old by Gertrude D. Bradley (1956)