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National Register of Historic Places
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General Information
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NR Name
: historic name
Alternate Name
: other name(s) associated with this property.
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NR Name:
Brookeville Historic District
NR Alternate Name:
Address Information
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Address information in Medusa may differ from information submitted on the original or amended survey form
Address:
Town:
Brookeville
Zip Code:
Counties:
Montgomery
USGS Quad(s):
Sandy Spring
Listing Information
NPS Ref Number:
79003272
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National Register reference number, provided by the National Park Service.
Confidential Location:
(not to be released)
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Is the location of this resource confidential?
Category:
District
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Category (Building, Structure, Object, Site, or District)
National Historic Landmark:
Date:
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Is this listed as a National Historic Landmark? For more details, see www.nps.gov/nhl/
Date Listed:
10/11/1979
Delisted:
Date:
Date Revised:
Multiple Property Submission:
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Is this a "multiple property submission? If so, what is the name of the multiple property submission?
Multiple Property Submission Name:
Construction Information
Architect/Builder:
Period/Date of Construction:
1794-1950s
About This Resource
Capsule Summary Text:
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Brief description of the resource and its significance, produced by MHT staff for its National Register website (apps.mht.maryland.gov/nr/). This is not necessarily the same as the text description in the actual National Register form, which can be viewed (if scanned) using the Open National Register Form link (below).
The incorporated town of Brookeville, Maryland, is situated on a plateau overlooking Reddy Branch in an arc to the north. Brookeville is a crossroads village, with almost all of the houses found along the two main streets, Market and High. The majority of the structures were built before 1900, and range in style from the Federal-style Jordan House to the simple, vernacular cabin known as the Blue House. The houses are built of stone, brick, and frame, and cover a period from 1779 to the 1950s. Most of the new buildings are located on the southern approach to the town, and are built in a modern colonial form not incompatible with the rest of the town. The 45 buildings in Brookeville, 35 of which are more than 50 years old, include four brick and three stone structures; the rest are of frame. Most of them are situated on quarter-acre lots. With the exception of the Post Office and plumbing shop, the town is a residential one. Of particular interest are the many outbuildings and the brick sidewalks. The town of Brookeville was established in 1794 by Richard Thomas on land inherited by his wife, Debra, from her grandfather, James Brooke the elder, a Quaker. At that time there were three houses in the community: the Madison House, the Blue House, and the Valley House. Fifty-six lots were laid out by Richard Thomas, 20 of which were sold by 1806. Brookeville grew and thrived as it met the demands of the many prosperous farms which surrounded it. By 1813 the thriving rural community had 14 houses, two mills, a tanning yard, two stores, a blacksmith's shop, a post office, a boys school, and a constable. The town continued to flourish in the 19th century as additional shops and services, including a girls' school, two churches, and a cemetery were added. Brookeville was important locally as the center of commerce and education. It also has national significance as the home of the Bentley and Moore families, both of which were nationally prominent and were instrumental in founding the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Attesting to this is the fact that President Madison sought shelter for the night at the home of Caleb Bentley on August 26, 1814, when the British occupied Washington during the War of 1812. Brookeville is a unique town in Montgomery County because of its collection of unaltered early- and mid-19th century architecture and its pristine setting. Although several nearby towns have suffered from encroachment by residential development, Brookeville remains relatively untouched, with its narrow, curving streets and great trees. The houses represent most periods of architecture from the late 18th century to the 20th, but predominantly the Federal and mid 19th century, with Victorian touches. These are typical examples of these styles, in largely unaltered condition.
Boundary Description:
Comments:
Open National Register Form
Enlarge Photo
Jennifer K. Cosham, 03/07/2004
View on MHT National Register Website
Related Records
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Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties (MIHP), Archaeology (if authorized), Determination of Eligilibity (DOE), and/or MHT Preservation Easement records associated with this record.
Click on hyperlink to go to related record
M: 23-65
MIHP
Brookeville Historic District
Easement
No Easement Records
DOE
No DOE Records
Resource Information
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Resource list associated with this form, if any. Entry of this information into the database is an ongoing project.
NR Form Resource List?:
Resource List Type:
Entered in Database?:
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A. That are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or B. That are associated with the lives of significant persons in or past; or C. That embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or D. That have yielded or may be likely to yield, information important in history or prehistory. a. A religious property deriving primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical importance; or b. A building or structure removed from its original location but which is primarily significant for architectural value, or which is the surviving structure most importantly associated with a historic person or event; or c. A birthplace or grave of a historical figure of outstanding importance if there is no appropriate site or building associated with his or her productive life; or d. A cemetery that derives its primary importance from graves of persons of transcendent importance, from age, from distinctive design features, or from association with historic events; or e. A reconstructed building when accurately executed in a suitable environment and presented in a dignified manner as part of a restoration master plan, and when no other building or structure with the same association has survived; or f. A property primarily commemorative in intent if design, age, tradition, or symbolic value has invested it with its own exceptional significance; or g. A property achieving significance within the past 50 years if it is of exceptional importance.