ABOUT

Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,148 at the 2010 census.

History
Originally called Garrison’s Landing, Bladensburg was renamed in honor of Thomas Bladen, governor of Maryland, 1742–1747. Bladensburg was established in 1742 as a regional commercial center by an act of the Maryland General Assembly. The act also authorized the town commissioners to purchase 60 acres (240,000 m²) of land to be laid out in 1-acre (4,000 m²) lots. The act required that a house covering at least 400 square feet (37 m²) of ground with a brick or stone chimney be constructed within 18 months of the sale of the lot. As of 6 June 1746, only 18 of the lots had been improved according to the stipulations of the act. Christopher Lowndes' house, Bostwick, and those built by David Ross and William Hilleary (theWilliam Hilleary House) were among them. With the establishment in 1747 of a government tobacco inspection system, Bladensburg became a designated tobacco inspection and grading port. The Market Master's House is evidence of that role.A seaport during the colonial period, Bladensburg is best remembered for the Battle of Bladensburg(1814) during the War of 1812, notable because it was the only battle in American history in which a sitting president (James Madison) rode into battle. America's eventual defeat, called "the greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms", cleared the way for the burning of Washington by British troops. Its role as a seaport faded as the Anacostia River silted up and larger ships could no longer reach the port.However, the town remained an important crossroads of routes north to Baltimore and Philadelphia, south and east to the towns of Annapolis and Upper Marlboro, and west to the District of Columbia. The original terminus of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was Bladensburg, forcing all passengers intended for Washington to board carriages to continue on into the city. A sharp decline of passengers was experienced in Bladensburg when an extension of the B&O was permitted into the District of Columbia in 1835.