Born a slave on October 8, 1809, in Prince George's County, MD, on the estate of William Bradley, he was one of four children of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bowen.

His home in the 900 block of E Street SW was an underground railroad station, and he is said to have built an extra attic in which to hide runaway slaves.

During the Civil War, Bowen encouraged President Abraham Lincoln to enlist African-American soldiers.

In 1856, he helped establish the St. Paul A.M.E. Church on E Street SW, which served as an underground railroad station, school for escaped slaves and a house of worship.

The structure was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994 (the new Anthony Bowen YMCA facility is located at 1325 W Street NW).