Bladensburg was named in honor of Sir Thomas Bladen, whose term as Provincial Governor began in 1742, the year that the town was established. It was an important port in colonial Maryland; by the time of the Revolution it was handling an ocean tonnage larger than any port in the colonies with the exception of Yorktown, Virginia. The harbor was reported to have a depth of forty feet and easily accommodated ocean-going vessels.

The port’s chief commodity was tobacco, and when the area’s overworked fields became less fertile and serious silting of the Anacostia River began, the town’s fortunes slid into a decline that lasted for a century and a half. In 1940, the population was less than four hundred persons.

The town flourished briefly as a passenger and freight transfer point because in 1832 the U.S. Congress refused to permit the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to enter the National Capital, considering the iron monster too dangerous an intruder. Bladensburg became the southern terminus for the discharge of passengers and freight until the ban was lifted in 1835. Samuel F. B. Morse strung the first telegraph line along that railroad right of way and is reported to have received the world’s first telegraph message in Bladensburg in 1844—before he sent his famous “What Hath God Wrought” message.

The present town of Bladensburg was incorporated in 1854 and retained its commission form of government until 1947. In that year, the town was enlarged by the addition of the Sunnybrook subdivision and, under a new charter, a Mayor and Council form of government was established.

The town is aggressively pursuing the economic revitalization of the business district, promoting its historic sites, and redeveloping the Bladensburg Waterfront Park as a marina and tourist destination. The town welcomes neighbors and visitors from afar to discover its trail system, historic sites, and the beauty of the Anacostia River, to patronize its shops, and to consider living in Bladensburg.