Bladensburg: Beyond the Battle - Bostwick from Mark Hildebrand on Vimeo.
Bostwick is one of only four pre-Revolutionary War structures still standing in Bladensburg, Maryland. It was a grand home, built for Christopher Lowndes who was a leading citizen and local merchant in Bladensburg. His trading company imported spices, building materials, dry goods, and slaves. He also owned a shipyard where ocean-going vessels were constructed as well as a ropewalk that manufactured the cordage necessary for shipping lines.
Lowndes bought the property for Bostwick in 1742, and the house was completed in 1746, as attested by a lead plate on the south chimney that contains the following inscription, ‘C.L. 1746.’ The house has been in the hands of only three families during its 250-plus year history. When Christopher Lowndes died in 1785, it became the property of his daughter, Rebecca, who was married to Benjamin Stoddert who served as the country’s first Secretary of the Navy. The house was already experiencing structural problems as Stoddert constructed a series of buttresses along the south and west sides of the building. In addition, the Stodderts also constructed the separate kitchen building that sits just a few feet from the northeast corner of the house.
ihttp://townofbladensburg.com/cms/bostwick/ from Bostwick’s National Register Application dated 1975.
