Historically a farming town, Brookeville is now at the northern edge of the densely developed Washington suburbs.

[4] Brookeville is notable as the "United States Capital for a Day": when British troops burned Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812, President James Madison sought refuge in the town on August 26, 1814.

During the American Civil War, Brookeville, along with nearby Sandy Spring, was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Postal Service (USPS) defines a larger area as Brookeville than what falls within the town boundaries.

Reddy Branch Stream Valley Park surrounds the Town of Brookeville, with the creek flowing west to east towards the Patuxent.

Georgia Avenue carries a substantial volume of traffic through the town, from these areas to the north into Montgomery County and Washington, D.C.

[5] Brookeville is an affluent residential community, with a large portion of residents employed with the government or related professional jobs.

Quakers Richard Thomas and his wife Deborah Brooke founded the town of Brookeville in 1794, and named it after her family.

[10] Newlin's Mill, located on the west side of town, processed high-quality castor oil and ground limestone for plaster.

[8] To transport goods more easily to markets in Washington, D.C., a prosperous farmer established a company in 1849 to build a toll road to connect Brookeville to the Seventh Street Pike.

Brookeville was home to Thomas Moore Jr., who along with Caleb Bentley was instrumental in the creation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

[13] During the War of 1812, when the British burned parts of Washington, D.C., the federal government and troops fled the capital.

[13] On the night of August 26, he stayed in the home of Caleb Bentley, whose wife Henrietta Thomas was close friends with Dolley Madison.

[15] After the British left Washington, they sailed to nearby Baltimore, where they attacked Fort McHenry and were repulsed.

Finding that our army has left Montgomery Court House, we pushed on to this place, with a view to join it, or proceed to the city, as further information might prescribe.

I know not where we are in the first instance to hide our heads; but shall look for a place on my arrival.The Oakley Farm, located on the western edge of Brookeville, thrived during the 18th and 19th centuries.

During the American Civil War, George B. McClellan sent Union troops (the First and Ninth Corps) through Brookeville, on their way to Antietam.

A false stone wall in the room hid a staircase that descended in two directions, including into a hidden area in the basement where escaped slaves could hide.

[22] In 1915, the Bentley family sold the Madison House to Roger Brooke, a leader of the Quaker community.

The house later changed hands, owned for some time by Elisha Hall, a principal at the Brookeville Academy, banker Remus Riggs, and Gene Archer, an NBC television personality.

[16] The automobile gave people more mobility and changed the market, with the nearby town of Olney taking prominence over Brookeville.

Brighton Dam Road extends to the east, crossing New Hampshire Avenue (Maryland Route 650), then the Patuxent River, and into Howard County.

Georgia Avenue, which begins in Washington, D.C., is a two-lane road when it passes through Brookeville, with a stop sign and tight turn that takes it through the historic district.

[29] Rachel Carson Conservation Park, located to the north, is undeveloped and has a number of hiking trails.

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission maintains 6,000 acres (24 km2), in and around the reservoir, which are open to the public for recreational purposes.

[34] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

[37] The larger area defined as Brookeville by the postal service, within the 20833 ZIP Code, has a population of 6,259 as of the 2000 census.

[37] The median purchase price for homes in the Brookeville area in 2006 was $546,500, which compares to $475,000 for all of Montgomery County, and $243,750 for the entire United States.

[38][39] The population in the Brookeville area is well-educated, with 57.6% of those age 25 or older having a college education, which compares to the national average of 24.4%.

Brookeville is located in Maryland's 8th congressional district, which is represented in the United States Congress by Jamie Raskin (D).