blogpop: March 2009 Archives

Frank Hewitt deserves special recognition in Silver Spring

on March 18, 2009 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 2009

by Jerry McCoy

Dear Mr. Leggett,

Lately there have been discussions in the county regarding whom the currently-under-construction Silver Spring civic building should be named after. The Silver Spring Historical Society would like to suggest Frank L. Hewitt, Sr. (1877-1944), a true Silver Spring "pioneer" whose life-long role as both a Silver Spring and Montgomery County civic leader contributed to the growth and vibrancy of our community today.

Hewitt's story reads like a Horatio Alger story. A young man leaves his Montgomery County home in Brinklow at the dawn of the 20th century and walks the dozen miles to Rockville where he catches a train bound for Silver Spring. Arriving with only 35 cents in his pocket he described the community as no more than "a place by the side of the road," the road being the Seventh Street Pike - today's Georgia Avenue.

Continue reading Frank Hewitt deserves special recognition in Silver Spring.

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Jerry McCoy is founder and president of the Silver Spring Historical Society, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create and promote awareness and appreciation of downtown Silver Spring's heritage through sponsorship of educational activities and the preservation and protection of historical sites, structures, artifacts and archives.

Jerry may be reached at sshistory@yahoo.com or 301-537-1253. The society's web site is sshistory.org