Bethesda History Videos
History of Bethesda Videos with Hank Levine
Ever wondered how (and why) Bethesda came to be where and what it is today?
Bethesda Historical Society Secretary and Tour Chair Hank Levine 
will take you through how, between 1750 and 1920, a fall line, a ridge line, a turnpike, a trolley line, rail lines, the coming of the automobile, and Chevy Chase set the stage for the development of Bethesda into the affluent suburb and urban center it is today.
A 1-hour video courtesy of Montgomery History.
Past, Present and Future of the
Bethesda Meeting House
Watch Hank Levine, president of the Bethesda Meeting House Foundation, present an illustrated tour of this iconic building’s history, architecture and significance.
Click here to watch it on Youtube.
Hank’s presentation begins at the 3:10 mark.
Hank returns to tell the story of how in the century after the end of World War I Bethesda became the affluent suburb and urban center we know and (mostly) love today.
Join us as we explore how the rise of the automobile brought new neighborhoods and a growing central business district; how the zoning and planning ‘wars’ of the 1960’s to 1990’s shaped our community; and how Metro jump-started the growth of a town into a city.
A 1-hour video courtesy of Montgomery History.
Recent Videos
“The story of Wisconsin Avenue begins about 12,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age,” she reports.
Click here for her TikTok video history.
Anyone else have a Bethesda video history or reminiscence? Let us know at bethesdahistory@gmail.com.
History of dairy industry in Bethesda with the MOOseum's Richard Rowe
Dairy farms and creameries in the Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Silver Spring area were pretty much gone by the 1940s. The early Bethesda area dairy farms and creameries are identified and located on a map and some are discussed in detail.
This presentation was developed in cooperation with the Bethesda Historical Society to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Bethesda.
An 80-minute video from Montgomery History April 27, 2022.
Connie Morella: a Conversation with the Bethesda Historical Society
The Bethesda Historical Society recently had the opportunity to speak with former U.S. Representative Connie Morella at the Bethesda Library named after her. In this short, she speaks of the importance of women having opportunities in life and in their careers.
Bethesda Historical Society
The story of the Bethesda Historical Society with Society President Wendy Kaufman.
A 6-minute video from Montgomery Municipal Cable.
2021 was the 150 year anniversary of Bethesda and the Bethesda Historical Society along with Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson went back in time to see what has always made it a very special place.
A 5-minute video.
Historian Bill Offutt
Bill Offutt, local historian and author of “Bethesda: A Social History” remembers Bethesda from the 1940s to the present day.
A 19-minute video from Montgomery Municipal Cable.
Congratulations to Bethesda historian and lifelong resident Bill Offutt who was presented Montgomery Preservation’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
A 13-minute video.
Histories of Bethesda
As recounted in a 14-minute Chamber of Commerce video produced in 2001 on the Chamber’s 75th anniversary.
Bethesda Md Wisconsin Ave thru the years:
a 16-minute video from Jim King
Bethesda fire and rescue
The early history of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad.
A 15-minute video produced in 1950 with a U.S. Department of State grant.
Bethesda schools
This richly-illustrated talk by Ralph Buglass, in partnership with the Bethesda Historical Society, will detail the ways that Bethesda schools set the pace for education in Montgomery County public schools beginning in the early 1900s.
A 65-minute video from Montgomery History
A 1962 Japanese documentary about Walter Johnson High School. Dubbed in English.
A 19-minute video posted by Montgomery County Public Schools TV
Bethesda churches
Found in the Bethesda Presbyterian Church archives and converted into DVD format, this is a semi-professional promotional piece for the expansion of its worship and educational facilities in the early 1940s.
An 18-minute video.
Markets
A 7-minute history of the Bethesda Farm Women’s Cooperative Market founded in 1932 and still going strong.
Restaurants
A 4-minute history of the Tastee Diner in downtown Bethesda, open since 1935, from Douglas Bell.
Agriculture
Dairy farms and creameries in the Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Silver Spring area were pretty much gone by the 1940s. The early Bethesda area dairy farms and creameries are identified and located on a map and some are discussed in detail. This presentation by Richard Rowe of the MOOseum, was developed in cooperation with the Bethesda Historical Society to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Bethesda.
An 80-minute video from Montgomery History April 27, 2022.
Bethesda celebrities
The Story of Walter Johnson & the 1924 World Series.
A 12-minute video documentary by Ted Chalfen (2016)
Military
Learn about the vital role Bethesda has played in medical science and innovation as André Sobocinski, historian for the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, discusses some of the hallmarks from NMRI’s history, from the survival kit for castaways to the Tissue Bank.
This program was held in celebration of Bethesda’s 150th birthday in conjunction with the Montgomery History and the Bethesda Historical Society.
Driving and flying around Bethesda
A 16-minute tour of downtown Bethesda
Drone footage over Bethesda 2022
A 33-minute drive through Bethesda in 2021
National Institutes of Health
A 5-minute history and description of the National Institutes of Health from the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.
Transportation
Learn in this 6-minute video how in 1964 the Capital Beltway was integrated into the Montgomery County landscape and how some local residents were affected.