Bowie Railroad Museum

Henry Adams provided building assessments for the historic Bowie Railroad Museum which consists of: a 1-story brick office, a 1-story frame depot building, a small 2-story frame tower and a passenger waiting shed. Henry Adams also provided a conditions assessment report and preventative maintenance recommendations for items visually identified during the site visit that were in need of maintenance.

After the Civil War, two major railroads were developed traveling to Washington, DC and Southern Maryland. The Bowie Station served as the junction between the two lines. The station's central location quickly grew popular and thus a city was formed around it.

While the railroad remains in use today, the station has not been since 1989. In 1991, Bowie purchased the buildings and moved them about 50 feet from their original location to a new foundation. In addition to the move, clapboard siding was uncovered and painted gray with dark red trim to match an earlier color scheme. (A fire destroyed most of the district in 1910; the depot structures were rebuilt in the early 20th century.). In 1994, the station buildings were declared a museum.

Today, visitors can walk through the passenger depot, hang out in the tower or tour an authentic caboose donated to the museum. The museum hosts several festivals a year and an arts and antiques expo. It is open the fourth Sunday of every month from April through October and also opens for group tours of 10 or more by appointment. Guided tours begin in the passenger waiting room with its potbelly stove, and move through the ticket master's office into the freight room, which contains railroad artifacts: steam gauges, lanterns and signals. Some say this train station is a "must-see" destination in Bowie.

Additional Information:

LocationBowie, MD
OwnerBowie Railroad Museum
ArchitectDavis Buckley Architects and Planners
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