President Madison flees invading British Army, spends night in Brookeville

Brookeville
August 26, 1814

After fleeing Washington from an invading British army, President James Madison spends a night in Brookeville, MD. With his entourage in tow and a strongbox containing the entire U.S. Treasury, the President makes the small Quaker community the U.S. Capital for a day.

Brookeville is also the home of Thomas Moore (1760-1822), who with another local citizen, Caleb Bentley (1762-1851), is the founder of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Moore also is credited with inventing the first refrigerator to transport and sell fresh butter.

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Poole and Hunt Foundry becomes an industrial hub

The Poole and Hunt Foundry and Machine Works, opened in 1854, makes construction in the US Capitol possible, specifically the dome and the House and Senate wings. Poole and Hunt becomes an industrial hub with 700 employees on the Jones Falls after the Civil War.

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Land Recognition

We acknowledge the enduring presence of many American Indian tribes who once lived in Maryland and who now, having lost their lands, live in a diaspora. Read more.

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