The Colorado-based national trades non-profit, HistoriCorps is hosting a volunteer work session at the historic Bostwick House in partnership with the University of Maryland, the property’s owner. Marylanders are invited to volunteer to participate in the project and learn or hone their hands-on preservation skills.
Bostwick House will be the oldest structure HistoriCorp has included in their national workforce training projects.
Thirty years before the Declaration of Independence, Christopher Lowndes built Bostwick House as a 2 1/2-story brick structure in colonial Bladensburg, Maryland to take advantage of the trade the nearby port provided. The stupendous buttress against the house’s chimney was added in 1793. Over the course of the structure’s 270 year evolution, a number of period-specific details have been added, including its prominent 19th century porch. Bostwick House is on the National Register of Historic Places and a celebrated feature of the town of Bladensburg, Maryland.
Project information
The scope of work at the Bostwick House includes carpentry work on the historic porch columns, masonry pier repairs, roof repair and replacement, scraping and painting, along with general repairs to floors, ceilings, and trim work.
This seven week-long session at Bostwick House starts after Labor Day and warps up in mid-October. Indoor lodging is provided; small RVs and camping trailers can also be accommodated. Volunteers can sign up for one or several weeks of the projects and should plan on arriving the first evening of their session and departing after lunch on the last day.