Capital Libations at the Madison House

A unique opportunity for an exclusive tour and tutorial on the rich history of the Madison House while enjoying Brookeville Capital Ale and Brookeville 1812 Hard Cider.  These libations, created specially for the Brookeville 1812 Commemoration, will be served with appropriate light fare.  The tour will be lead by "the Bentleys," current owners Sandy & Duane Heiler. 

The Madison House in Brookeville, MD is an historically significant Federal-style brick residence that was built in the 1700s.  After purchasing the property in 2007, Sandy & Duane Heiler spent two years restoring and renovating nearly every square inch with the utmost respect for its past.  Their skill and dedication in completing this top-to-bottom effort resulted in them winning The Washington Post's Historic Home Contest. 

The Madison House could have ended up as a museum, given its storied past.  During the War of 1812, President James Madison stayed in the house after fleeing Washington, DC during the British invasion of the capital and burning of the White House.  On Aug. 26, 1814, Madison arrived in Brookeville and spent the night in the "best" bedroom of the house before leaving the next afternoon.  The white-washed walls and painted trim in the rooms demonstrate a real Quaker aesthetic throughout the house.  That's no coincidence since Richard Thomas, a Quaker, may have built the house for himself and his wife, Deborah Brooke.  The pair founded Brookeville in 1794 on land inherited from her father.  Two of the original surveying stones used to lay out the town still rest in the Heiler's front yard.  At the time of Madison's visit, the house was owned by Caleb Bentley, a clockmaker and silversmith who made cornerstone plaques for the White House and U.S. Capitol.

Event cost is $65 per person for members of the Sandy Spring Museum; $70 for non-members.  Limited to 40 guests.