In the Berwyn Heights town office hangs an old map of the town. It shows essentially the same municipal boundaries and layout of streets as today. But all the street names are different.

Berwyn Road was named Waugh Avenue, Pontiac Street was La Belle Avenue, and Ruatan Street was Keleher Avenue. Initially, the streets were named after people. Who were they and how are they connected to the Town’s history?

These are the questions  the Berwyn Heights Historical Committee began to explore when it started to meet in May 2003. The answers led back to the colorful cast of characters who set out to create a fashionable suburb for wealthy Washingtonians. The Committee’s historical markers seek to capture their lives and  their contributions to our town.