Sunday, April 26, 2015

B is for Brookeville, Maryland

B is for Brookeville, Maryland.  The drive would only take about 55 minutes and I was really looking forward to visiting the town that played a significant role in history.  On August 26, 1814, Brookville was named, “The United States Capital for a Day” during the British occupation of Washington and when President James Madison fled the White House.  More about that in a bit. 

Brookeville is a quiet town located in Montgomery County (less than 20 miles from Washington DC) with a population of 134 people and is mostly residential (location https://www.google.com/maps/place/Brookeville,+MD+20833/@39.1797554,-77.0547512,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b7d6d569ab0761:0xd785efeab880fa3b).  The town is formally incorporated and covers an area of 0.1 square miles.  Since Brookeville’s founding in 1794, the community has evolved and kept pace with the times, but never lost its historical integrity.  It has become home to people seeking the charm and comfort of a previous era. 

Some background on my town selection.  Friends have been giving me suggestions for future town visits.  One friend gave me the name of a town that was not coming up on my list of Maryland Cities and Towns.  So, I did an independent search on the town and found that it wasn’t on my list because the town was an UNINCORPORATED town. 

Hmmmmm………so, what is an UNINCORPORATED town?  Here are some interesting facts about these towns.  If a town is UNINCORPORATED, the town does not have a city government; the fire department is likely a volunteer one supported with fundraisers, donations, and maybe grants; what regulations there are, are County regulations; there may or may not be a Post Office; there likely will be a school or schools and, yes, the towns do have names.  But if you drove through one, you'd just think “this is a small town” - there's no real way to tell if a town is INCORPORATED just by looking at it.  Additionally, some of these towns can have hundreds to thousands of people.

So, back to Brookeville.  Brookeville was INCORPORATED by the Maryland General Assembly in 1808, which appointed three Town Commissioners – making Brookeville the oldest INCORPORATED town in Montgomery County.  Can you believe that?  This little 134 person town is INCORPORATED.  Pretty impressive!

As mentioned earlier, one of the reasons why I wanted to visit this quiet little town was that it played a significant role during the War of 1812.  In 2014, a Washington Post article summarized the history of this town as:

As the British burned the U.S. Capital in 1814, refugees from Washington D.C. and Georgetown fled to this [Brookeville] town.  President James Madison spent two nights in Brookeville as he sought refuge at the Market Street home of Postmaster Caleb Bentley.  The house is known today as, “The Madison House.”  In addition to providing refuge to the President and the U.S. Attorney General, Brookeville’s townspeople provided refuge for other Washingtonians fleeing the invasion and burning of the city, as well as American Soldiers from the Battle of Bladensburg making Brookeville “The United States Capital for a Day.”


The Madison House literally sits on the border of this town – the “Welcome to Brookeville” sign is posted in the yard.  People currentlyoccupy The Madison House as a residence, so this unfortunately this meant I probably wasn’t going to be able to take a tour.  I tried, though.  The owner was in the backyard cutting the lawn and was inaccessible, but I was hoping someone else was home.  No such luck.  More history…….The Madison House not only housed President Madison for two nights, it actually sits on top of the historical Underground Railroad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Railroad.  According to “Pathways to Freedom – Maryland & the Underground Railroad”:

The Madison house at Georgia Avenue and Market Street has ties to the Quaker abolitionist community in nearby Sandy Spring.  Decades after the end of the Civil War, a secret room was discovered within the foundations of the house, which had long been rumored to be a stop on the Underground Railroad.  This room was accessible only by lifting the floorboards of the family room above it, then traveling the stone staircase.  An old gun was also found in the secret chamber.     

So, note to self…..in the VERY near future, sign up for the Free Weekly Guided Underground Railroad Hikes beginning in nearby Sandy Spring.  The hike lasts about 2.5 hours and is provided by volunteers who lead groups on a simulated Underground Railroad experience covering 2.0 miles along a wooded, natural surface trail.  Hikers will learn about various techniques that "freedom seekers" used to elude trackers, find food, and navigate their way north to freedom.  The Underground Railroad Experience Trail is part of the National Park Service program. 

From there, I drove by the Brookeville Academy, which is one of the first private schools in Montgomery County, built in 1810.  Now it serves as a unique community center used for meetings, social and cultural events. 

Not far from the Academy is The Valley House.  This is also occupied by residents as is The Madison House.  The Valley House is one of the oldest in Brookeville as it is one of the four remaining late 18th century buildings in the town.  It is believed that it was built by the founders of the town prior to Brookeville’s founding in 1794 (remember Brookeville was INCORPORATED in 1808 – different than when it was founded.)




It was still early in the day, so I headed over to the Brighton Azalea Garden.  Situated overlooking the Brighton Dam, I could easily see how the five acres of nothing but Azaleas would be quite breathtaking.  Unfortunately, we haven’t had the warmest/sunniest of spring days, so nothing was in bloom, yet.  However, the walk through the small wooded park proved to be VERY enjoyable as it was so peaceful.  Not a soul was around.  I had to keep reminding myself it was Saturday, too.
 


My stomach is rumbling……time for lunch.  So, I headed over to the Sunshine General Store (which has been around since the 1950s/1960s and used to sell gas) where they serve the FAMOUS Sunshine Burger http://peepmeat.com/restaurant.php?id=83.
From what I understand from my readings, there is actually a cult following with regards to these burgers.  When I got there, the place was packed!  I later found out that it’s like that from the time the place opens for business until the time they close.  And the intoxicating smell coming from the building.......heavenly!  I can really appreciate a good burger (even though it’s not on my personal menu)!  So, I made my way up to the order counter where I disappointed a bunch of turkey hunters by ordering……a PB&J.  However, I really wanted to get a glimpse of the burgers on the grill!  GINORMOUS as you can see by the picture!  A few minutes later, one of the ladies behind the counter yelled out that if anyone ordered a burger with lettuce, that they were out of lettuce – I smiled.  This was a pretty cool place. 

 
While I waited for my sandwich, a nice lady in the crowd asked if I was a reporter.  This was probably due to all of the pictures I was taking.  I told her about the blog - she became very interested in hearing about it and contributing what she could.  She told me about the places to visit in Brookeville (many of which I had already visited today), but I was thankful for the additional suggestions.  She smiled as she proceeded to tell me about the plans to pick up some Sunshine Burgers so she could surprise her children as they adored them.  She also told me of how she was thinking of sending an email to Guy Fieri of “Diners Drive Ins and Dives” about coming out here to review the place.  One of the turkey hunters chimed in that he wanted to do that, as well.  My sandwich was ready, but the six stools were taken at the counter and the one table was full, so I went out to my car to eat.  As I turned to look back at the establishment, I saw a “Live Bait” sign in the window and remembered seeing the live bait in the store – again, I smiled.  This was a pretty cool place. 


From there, I drove over to “Sharp's at Waterford Farm” www.sharpfarm.com .  This is a 530 acre working farm, family-owned and operated since 1903.  From mid-April through mid-November (during the week), they offer a variety of educational programs and tours.  I may have to go back as I honestly wanted to see one of the presentations entitled, “The Wonderful World of Worms.”  Although this class is described as “a great introduction for children to learn how they can make a difference in the environment by learning about composting,” it is for Ages 4 and Up, so I’m going to throw in the “Up” card when I come back.  I, too, would like to see the entire cycle, from food scraps or other organic waste, to the final product.  Additionally, some of the points covered in this class are: 

 
•What are the body parts of an earthworm?
•What do earthworms eat?
•What is compost?
•How do you make a compost pile?
•How do earthworms improve our soil?
•See actual working worm composting bins!
 
As today is Saturday, I was only able to look at the numerous farm animals and walk through the LARGE greenhouse with starter plants for sale.  Check out this cute little baby donkey with his mama!  Hopefully, I will be able to get back here during the week to see/experience more things.

It looked like rain was beginning to move in, so I decided to “call it a day.”  As I drove out of town, it was amazing to realize that a town with so much significance to our Nation’s history was less than an hour’s drive away.  I am really looking forward to my next Maryland adventure. 
Until then, I may have to craft an email to Guy Fieri……..

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