Like many Maryland towns, Bladensburg is closely associated with a number of historical figures, including President George Washington.
Bladensburg, MD, sits just outside of Washington, D.C., and is familiar to anyone driving south into the city on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Yes, this German-sounding town actually exists; it’s not just a name on a highway sign close to your ultimate destination.
History buffs will recognize Bladensburg for the Battle of Bladensburg, where the British broke our forces in the War of 1812, the one we Americans don’t think back on much because we lost. After they whipped us there, the British marched into Washington and burned much of the city. Darn Redcoats.
Actually, Bladensburg sports a number of historic sites that you can visit, including:
- The stately Bostwick House, which was constructed in 1746 and remains one of only four pre-Revolutionary War structures still standing in the town
- The George Washington House, a former tavern where America’s first president is said to have stayed
- The William Hilleary House, a quaint, gambrel-roofed home that was used as a make-shift hospital during the War of 1812
These days, renting an apartment in Bladensburg puts you right next door to the nation’s capital. How close? If you take Bladensburg Road down a little ways to where it ends and bear a slight right at Maryland Avenue, a short drive later you will actually see the great, neoclassical domed Capitol itself, looking as beautiful as ever.
Lovers of the outdoors and sports-minded folks will want to take advantage of Bladensburg Waterfront Park, where you can rent a canoe, kayak or rowboat, and even take canoeing and kayaking lessons. Downstream, the park attaches to a nearby sports field complex that houses basketball and tennis courts, a soccer field, and five baseball/softball fields.
