Bostwick is a historic, eighteenth-century site located in Bladensburg, Maryland. It consists of a Georgian-style, central passage, main house that was altered in the early twentieth century in a Colonial Revival redo, multiple outbuildings dating from the late eighteenth to early twentieth century and landscaped grounds, including terraces. Christopher Lowndes, a locally prominent, English-born merchant built Bostwick in 1746 using indentured and enslaved workers. The house reflects the wealth and aesthetic tastes of Maryland’s colonial elite. Strategically located on the Eastern Branch or Anacostia River, the town of Bladensburg was one of several small, but important, commercial centers in early Prince George’s County. From the import and sale of dry goods, to ship-building and rope making, Lowndes’ various business ventures speak to the diversity of economic activity in the eighteenth-century Mid-Atlantic region. Christopher Lowndes also owned and traded slaves, and Bostwick represents an important part of the early African American experience in Maryland.
Over its 250-plus year history, Bostwick has witnessed many of the events that have marked the region, from the Battle of Bladensburg in 1814 to the arrival of the first railroad lines in the 1830s. Some of Maryland’s most prominent early families have lived at the house, further contributing to its rich history. Today, this important structure is owned by the Town of Bladensburg; the Maryland Historical Trust and Prince George’s County hold protective easements on the property. In 2008, the Town of Bladensburg and the Historic Preservation Program of the University of Maryland, College Park signed a memorandum of agreement allowing the preservation program to use Bostwick as a learning resource for the study of architectural history, preservation planning and building conservation. Since 2008, program faculty and students have contributed to many research and restoration projects at Bostwick.