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A+History
History · Brookfield

Brookfield dates to 1660, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 96% of U.S. towns · #66 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 99 buildings between them. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1790.

1660founded
3on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
16famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Brookfield’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Brookfield began

When was Brookfield founded?

1660

Brookfield dates its founding to 1660 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 3,100 in 17902020 census: 3,439366 years

How historic is Brookfield?

A+

More historic than 96% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1794.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Brookfield’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brookfield is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns, #66 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brookfield’s overall grade.
Founding era1660, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194022.2% of homes (±6.8) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register3 listings, 99 historic buildings, 286 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 96%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 77%

Massachusetts towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Massachusetts town has 46.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Brookfield’s 286 sits above most of its state (83% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 99 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.8 points). Two sources give 1660.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Brookfield’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Older than the countryEstablished in 1660, 116 years before the Declaration of Independence.On the map since 18878 editions of the USGS map, 1887 to 1982. Watch Brookfield change.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1890 and 1930, then more than doubled.A historic districtThe Brookfield Common Historic District takes in 80 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Brookfield, 1660 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 17th century
  2. 1660
    FoundingBrookfield is established
  3. 18th century
  4. 1752Born hereTheodore Foster is born here
  5. 1786Born hereWilliam Appleton is born here
  6. 1794Post officeThe Brookfield post office opens
  7. 19th century
  8. 1850In the archiveKing Philip's War - Capture of
  9. 1869Born hereArthur Louis Day is born here
  10. 1887On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 20th century
  12. 1903In the archiveBarra Head, N.B. (NBY 439116)
  13. 1928In the archiveYe Olde Tavern on U.S. Route 20 at
  14. 1936Born hereJohn A. Durkin is born here
  15. 1939In the archiveLand Utilization Town of Brookfield - DPLA - a1858184f1a4c42a976447fade2b4e6f
  16. 21st century
  17. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 3,439
On the map

Brookfield on the map, 1887 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Brookfield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Brookfield on the 1887 USGS mapBrookfield on the 1890 USGS mapBrookfield on the 1915 USGS mapBrookfield on the 1921 USGS mapBrookfield on the 1954 USGS mapBrookfield on the 1969 USGS mapBrookfield on the 1975 USGS mapBrookfield on the 1982 USGS map1887Brookfield sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Brookfield.

People over time

Brookfield, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,500180018501900195020003,352 in 1890Low: 1,352

Lost half of its people between 1890 and 1930, then more than doubled.

19 censuses, 1790–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Brookfield’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Brookfield came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Brookfield.

Read it all →

Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660 and was officially incorporated in 1718. The town was settled by men from Ipswich as part of the Quaboag Plantation lands.

In August 1675, King Philip's War reached central Massachusetts. Brookfield, one of the most isolated settlements in the colony, was attacked by Nipmuck forces. After an ambush, the town was besieged. For two days the townsfolk, consisting of 80 people, sought shelter in the garrison house while the rest of the town was completely destroyed. The settlement lay abandoned for twelve years.

During the winter of 1776, General Henry Knox passed through the town with cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to end the Siege of Boston. A marker along Route 9 commemorates his route.

ChaptersBathsheba SpoonerWashington's visitOther Brookfields

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Brookfield, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s1 item
King Philip's War - Capture of1850King Philip's War - Capture of
1900s–1930s5 items
Barra Head, N.B. (NBY 439116)1903Barra Head, N.B. (NBY 439116)Central Street1907–1915Central StreetReal photo postcard of Central Street1907–1915Real photo postcard of Central StreetPostcardYe Olde Tavern on U.S. Route 20 at1928Ye Olde Tavern on U.S. Route 20 atLand Utilization Town of Brookfield - DPLA - a1858184f1a4c42a976447fade2b4e6f1939Land Utilization Town of Brookfield - DPLA - a1858184…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown4 to date
An address on the early history of old Brookfield, Mass., delivered at West Brookfield, Mass., his native town, by the …Date?An address on the early history of old Brookfield, Ma…BookLeading business men of Spencer, Brookfield and vicinity;Date?Leading business men of Spencer, Brookfield and vicin…BookBanister HouseDate?Banister HouseMilestone, Route 9Date?Milestone, Route 9
Today17 recent
Mill-Station Park, Brookfield MA 2026-05-162026Mill-Station Park, Brookfield MA 2026-05-16Mill-Station Park bicycle rack 2026-05-162026Mill-Station Park bicycle rack 2026-05-16Old West Main Street2024Old West Main StreetBrookfield Town Pound2024Brookfield Town PoundTown Hall2023Town HallLittle Free Library2023Little Free LibraryHenry D. Fales Mansion2023Henry D. Fales MansionKnox Trail Marker2021Knox Trail MarkerBrookfield Fire Department - Brookfield, MA - DSC04752-0012012Brookfield Fire Department - Brookfield, MA - DSC0475…Old service station2010Old service stationMA Route 148 northbound in2010MA Route 148 northbound inElm Hill Farm2010Elm Hill FarmBrookfield, MassWorks Grant, November 1, 20102010Brookfield, MassWorks Grant, November 1, 2010Brookfield, MassWorks Grant, November 1, 20102010Brookfield, MassWorks Grant, November 1, 2010Brookfield, Lt. Governor Murray, October 18, 20102010Brookfield, Lt. Governor Murray, October 18, 2010MA Route 9 westbound entering2009MA Route 9 westbound entering1939 Brookfield stone wall Massachusetts 2589500007 BPL20081939 Brookfield stone wall Massachusetts 2589500007 B…
Every building

Brookfield, building by building, 1893–1904

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Brookfield fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

King Philip's War - Capture of
Retake this viewKing Philip's War - Capture of, 1850

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Brookfield’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 listings protect 99 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
99
each building in a district counts
first listed
1990
Brookfield Common Historic District
Brookfield Common Historic DistrictElm Hill Farm Historic DistrictBrookfield Cemetery
DistrictsSites

Architectural styles listings

Federal2
Italianate2
Queen Anne2
Greek Revival1
Gothic1
Second Empire1
Brookfield Common Historic DistrictFederal
Elm Hill Farm Historic DistrictFederal
Brookfield CemeterySite

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

16 famous people were born in Brookfield

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
John A. DurkinAmerican politician · b. 1936
Arthur Louis DayAmerican geophysicist and volcanologist · b. 1869
Theodore FosterAmerican politician · b. 1752
William AppletonAmerican politician · b. 1786
Mary Jane HolmesNovelist · b. 1828
Albert R. HoweAmerican politician · b. 1840
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Brookfield’s post office has been open since 1794.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Brookfield Mobile Home ParkNonatomqua Mobile Home Park
1cemetery inside Brookfield
Brookfield

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Brookfield’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo4 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewKing Philip's War - Capture of: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

East BrookfieldIts storyB+West Brookfield6 historic placesA+North Brookfield2 historic placesA+Sturbridge3 historic placesA−

Questions about Brookfield’s history

What year was Brookfield founded?

In 1660, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Brookfield’s post office opened in 1794, and the first U.S. census counted 3,100 people here in 1790.

How does Brookfield rank for history?

Brookfield is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns, #66 of 283 in Massachusetts. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Brookfield?

Three places: the Brookfield Common Historic District (listed 1990), the Elm Hill Farm Historic District (1991) and the Brookfield Cemetery (2003).

How old are the homes in Brookfield?

22% of Brookfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1982.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (25), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.