Map (pdf)

1903 Photo

In 1836, Judge Richard Johns Bowie, an attorney from a wealthy Georgetown family, purchased three tracts of land to form a property that he called "Glenview." Judge Bowie was well-known as an attorney and representative to the Maryland House of Delegates.

Bowie's 1836-38 house, which forms the core of the present Glenview Mansion, was a four-bay stone building. Because no illustration of the house during this period is known to exist, an exact description of the architecture can not be made. It is likely that the house had relatively simple decorative features with a front portico, perhaps in a Greek Revival style. The grounds probably included a barn, summer kitchen, smoke house, privy and sheds as did most Maryland farms. Large estates like Glenview also included slave quarters.

After the Civil War, Judge Bowie deeded a small piece of ground in the northeastern corner of the park, referred to as the Smith property, to one of his former slaves. Today, the foundation and a hand-dug stone well survive. In the woods across Avery Road to the east of this property are the remnants of a family burial plot. On a 1917 city map, it is labeled "colored cemetery." Parts of gravestones have been found on the site.

In 1880, Judge Bowie donated five acres of his land for the Rockville Cemetery. An additional two acres were donated by Judge Bowie's widow, Catherine in 1889. Many prominent local citizens are buried in Rockville Cemetery, including Judge Bowie and his wife. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda were once buried here, but were moved to St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Cemetery in downtown Rockville.

The earliest known photograph of Glenview, which was taken at the time of Catherine Bowie's death in 1891, was published in 1904 in the Baltimore Sun. It featured a steeply pitched roof, a prominent cross-gable, a second-story porch and had many gothic details, reflecting the architectural style between 1850 and 1870.

In the early 20th century, the mall (front lawn) had several features that have since been removed, among them a formal rose garden, which was located on the west side of the mall. A barn located on the north side of house was later removed to allow for the building of the Mansion's east wing.

From 1904-1917, Glenview was owned by Charles J. Fox, Franklin Fox and Emma J. Walters. During this period, the owners' made further changes to the Mansion by adding a simple frame addition to the east side of the house where the porch had been, three front dormer windows and a front portico with an enclosed second-story porch.