Brookeville, town in Maryland, United States
Brookeville is a small village in Montgomery County, Maryland, made up of a handful of historic brick buildings along a short main road. The surrounding area is rural and tree-lined, with a layout that has changed very little since the town was first established.
The village was founded in the 1790s and gained national attention during the War of 1812, when President James Madison briefly took refuge there after British forces seized Washington D.C. After that moment, it remained a small settlement and never grew into a larger town.
Brookeville is sometimes called the "Capital of the United States for a Day," a nickname tied to a brief but memorable moment in the country's early history. Visitors walking through the center can still see the old brick houses where that story unfolded.
Brookeville is best reached by car, as there is no direct public transit connection to the village. A short walk along the main road is enough to take in the whole center, so no special preparation is needed.
The house where Madison stayed on the night of August 26, 1814, still stands and is one of the oldest buildings in the village. It is not a museum or an official memorial, which makes it all the more surprising to stand so close to a chapter of American history.
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