Mattaponi

Mattaponi is a historic house in Croom, Prince George's County, Maryland, rather than a conventional commercial brand. It is also identified as the John Bowie Jr. House. The present structure was built around 1820 on the foundation of an earlier house dating from the 1730s. The property lies approximately three miles northwest of Nottingham and was historically associated with the Bowie family, an influential Maryland family with extensive landholdings and political connections in the region. The name Mattaponi was applied to the original house and later to the surrounding tract. It came from the nearby Mattaponi Creek and is described in historical accounts as a Native American term meaning “meeting of the waters.” The name also recalls the Mattaponi people, an Indigenous group associated with what became colonial Virginia. The property therefore represents both a family estate and a longstanding geographic name in southern Maryland. The land was connected to John Bowie Sr., who emigrated from Scotland to colonial Maryland in 1705. He acquired a large tract known as Brooke's Reserve, located roughly two miles west of Nottingham, and arranged for land to be provided to his son, Captain William Bowie, when William reached the age of twenty-one. A substantial brick house was subsequently erected on the property and called Mattaponi. The current house is understood to be the second major dwelling at the site, constructed over the earlier building's foundation. Mattaponi is part of a wider group of Bowie-associated residences built in and around Nottingham during the colonial and early national periods. The family played an important role in local and state affairs, and the house has particular political associations through Robert Bowie, who served as governor of Maryland from 1803 to 1806 and again from 1811 to 1812. Robert Bowie is buried at Mattaponi and is believed to have been born there, although the latter point has not been conclusively established. Walter Bowie is also recorded as having been born at the property. Architecturally, Mattaponi is associated with the brick-and-stucco domestic style characteristic of several Bowie residences in the area. Its appearance has been compared with Bowieville, a nearby house Robert Bowie built for his daughter. A documented social event at the property occurred in December 1846, when Richard Lowndes Ogle married Priscilla Mackall Bowie at Mattaponi. Because the authoritative subject is a historic house, information normally expected for a commercial brand—such as products, executives, marketing campaigns, financial performance, a corporate owner, or operating markets—is not applicable or has not been identified. The entry is retained under the requested subject key but should be treated as a place and heritage-property record rather than as a consumer-brand profile.

Mattaponi is a historic house in Croom, Maryland, also known as the John Bowie Jr. House. The property is located in Prince George's County, approximately three miles northwest of Nottingham. Its present building dates to about 1820 and stands on the foundation of an earlier house constructed around the 1730s. The property's history is closely linked to the Bowie family. John Bowie Sr. emigrated from Scotland to colonial Maryland in 1705. He later acquired a large tract called Brooke's Reserve, situated about two miles west of Nottingham. The land was associated with his son, Captain William Bowie, for whom a substantial brick dwelling was erected when William reached the age of twenty-one. That house was named Mattaponi after the nearby creek. The current structure is regarded as the second house at the site, built on the earlier dwelling's foundation. The name Mattaponi is described as a Native American term meaning “meeting of the waters,” reflecting the property's connection to the nearby waterway. The name also corresponds to the Mattaponi people, who historically lived in the region that became colonial Virginia. Over time, the name of the house became associated with the surrounding tract as well. The Bowies established several residences in and near Nottingham during the colonial period and became prominent landowners and political figures in Maryland. Mattaponi is especially associated with Robert Bowie, Maryland's governor from 1803 to 1806 and again from 1811 to 1812. Robert Bowie is buried at the property and is believed to have been born there, although the claim has not been proven. Walter Bowie is also identified as having been born at Mattaponi. Robert Bowie's nearby residence, The Cedars, stood in Nottingham on the Patuxent River, while Bowieville, a brick house covered with stucco, was built for his daughter. Mattaponi has been described as similar in style to Bowieville. The property continued to serve as a family and social setting in the nineteenth century. In December 1846, Richard Lowndes Ogle married Priscilla Mackall Bowie at Mattaponi. The house's historical importance consequently derives from its architecture, its association with the Bowie family, its links to Maryland political history, and the persistence of its distinctive geographic name. The Historic American Buildings Survey documented Mattaponi under reference MD-651, recording three photographs of the property on Mattaponi Road. No reliable evidence in the supplied material identifies Mattaponi as a commercial enterprise, branded product, or operating company. Accordingly, commercial-brand fields such as products, campaigns, executives, financials, and corporate ownership remain empty.

• 1846

  Marriage held at Mattaponi

  [1]Mattaponi (John Bowie Jr. House)en.wikipedia.org

  Richard Lowndes Ogle married Priscilla Mackall Bowie at Mattaponi in December 1846.

• 1820

  Present Mattaponi house constructed

  [1]Mattaponi (John Bowie Jr. House)en.wikipedia.org

  The current brick house was built around 1820 and is identified with the John Bowie Jr. House.

• 1811

  Robert Bowie begins second term as Maryland governor

  [1]Mattaponi (John Bowie Jr. House)en.wikipedia.org

  Robert Bowie returned to the Maryland governorship for a second term in 1811–1812.

• 1803

  Robert Bowie begins first term as Maryland governor

  [1]Mattaponi (John Bowie Jr. House)en.wikipedia.org

  Robert Bowie, associated with Mattaponi and buried there, began his first term as governor of Maryland.

• 1730

  Earlier house established at the site

  [1]Mattaponi (John Bowie Jr. House)en.wikipedia.org

  An earlier dwelling was built at the location in approximately the 1730s. The present house was later constructed on its foundation.

• 1705

  John Bowie Sr. arrives in colonial Maryland

  [1]Mattaponi (John Bowie Jr. House)en.wikipedia.org

  John Bowie Sr. emigrated from Scotland to colonial Maryland, beginning the family history later associated with the Mattaponi property.

Historic residential property and Bowie-family heritage site; not a conventional commercial brand.

1. 1Mattaponi (John Bowie Jr. House)en.wikipedia.org