Editing Wheaton, Maryland (section)

==History ==
===Three roads===
Wheaton developed from Leesborough (named in 1826), a small business district that grew near the junction of three major roads. The first of these is [[Maryland Route 97|Brookeville Pike]] (also known as the Washington-Brookeville Pike and later as the Union Turnpike, now Georgia Avenue) a north/south toll thoroughfare running from [[Washington, D.C.]], to [[Brookeville, Maryland|Brookeville]] and eventually to [[Baltimore]].

The second road, [[Maryland Route 586|Veirs Mill Road]] (named after a grist and sawmill built on [[Rock Creek (Potomac River)|Rock Creek]] by Samuel Clark Veirs in 1838<ref name="veirs mill">{{cite web|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=78|title=Veirs Mill Historical Marker}}</ref>), was one portion of a much longer thoroughfare running west to [[Rockville, Maryland]], and thence towards the [[Potomac River]] and subsequently to [[Virginia]] via ferry crossings. This was also known as the "City Road" in Rockville, and around the time of the Civil War it was known also as the "New Cut Road."<ref name="Civil War Defenses of Washington Chapter VII">{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/civilwar/hrs1-7.htm|title=Civil War Defenses of Washington Chapter VII}}</ref><ref name="The History Of Montgomery County, Maryland, From Its Earliest Settlement In 1650 to 1879 (Boyd, T. H. S.)">The History Of Montgomery County, Maryland, From Its Earliest Settlement In 1650 to 1879 (Boyd, T. H. S.)</ref>

The last of these roads was known as [[Maryland Route 193|Old Bladensburg Road]] (now University Boulevard) which, as it does in present day, connected [[Georgetown, Washington, D.C.|Georgetown]], [[Bethesda, Maryland|Bethesda]], [[Chevy Chase, Maryland|Chevy Chase]], [[Kensington, Maryland|Kensington]], Wheaton, [[Silver Spring, Maryland|Silver Spring]], and [[Bladensburg, Maryland|Bladensburg]].<ref name="MC history">{{cite web|url=http://www.wheatonmd.org/_files/docs/wheatonhistoryfinal.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/http://www.wheatonmd.org/_files/docs/wheatonhistoryfinal.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-10 |url-status=live|title=A History of Wheaton (Discover Wheaton), Montgomery County Government}}</ref>

===Mitchell's Crossroads===
The business district became known as Mitchell's Crossroads, after Robert T. Mitchell's tavern, which sat at the northeast corner of Union Turnpike and Old Bladensburg Road.

In 1864, [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[General officers in the Confederate States Army|General]] [[Jubal Early]] led troops through the area on their way to attack Washington, D.C.<ref name= centuries>Sween, Jane C.; Offutt, William. ''Montgomery County: Centuries of Change''.  American Historical Press, 1999.  {{ISBN|1-892724-05-7}}.</ref> [[General (United States)|Union General]] Frank Wheaton and his [[Division (military)|division]] beat them back at the [[Battle of Fort Stevens]].<ref name="MC history"/><ref>"[https://www.proquest.com/docview/144298012/ ARMY CORPS HISTORY: Brilliant Records of the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh]. ''The Washington Post''. September 15, 1902. p. 4.</ref><ref>"Gen. Wheaton is Dead: Won His Rank Through Bravery in Battle]". ''The Washington Post'' June 19, 1903. p. 9.</ref><ref name= centuries/>

Mitchell's Tavern was destroyed by a fire in 1940.<ref name="MC history"/>

===After the Civil War===
[[File:Dunkin' Donuts, Georgia Avenue and Reedie Drive, Wheaton, Maryland (c. 1967).png|thumb|A [[Dunkin' Donuts]] store on Wheaton's Georgia Avenue {{circa}} 1967; the restaurant is still operating there today.]]
[[File:11001 Georgia Ave.jpg|thumb|Former entrance sign for Wheaton, Maryland. This sign has since been replaced.]]
After the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], the area's first [[postmaster]] was war veteran George F. Plyer,<ref name="townnamed">"[https://www.proquest.com/docview/141145536/] Town Named After Leader in Civil War]". ''The Washington Post''. p. C2.</ref> who in October 1869, renamed the post office in honor of his commanding officer, General Wheaton.<ref name= centuries/>

For many years, the Wheaton area was only lightly used, mostly for farming. In 1871, the first African American Church, Allen Chapel AME Church, was established. This religious body maintained its presence in the Wheaton community until 2000, at which time the New Creation Church purchased the property.

Into the early 20th century, civic growth in the area was slow, with a few new businesses established along the major roads. But after World War II, Wheaton quickly expanded. The area's first modern post office opened in 1947 (earlier records show that the post office had used the Leesborough name). In addition, the [[Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission]] (WSSC) was active, adding utility infrastructure to the area. As part of that work, and just north of Wheaton, the prominent [[Glenmont, Maryland|Glenmont]] Water Tower was constructed in 1947. Wheaton was steadily built-out by several developers (Kay Construction Co. in particular), becoming a part of the modern-day suburbs of Washington, D.C. Today, as an unincorporated town, Wheaton is governed locally by the civic government of Montgomery County.<ref name="montgomery county">{{cite web|url=http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/district_map.html|title=Montgomery County Voting Districts}}</ref> For some modern information databases, such as official real estate records, Wheaton (along with several neighboring locales) is considered to be a sub-section of larger Silver Spring.