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History · Brookdale

Brookdale’s post office opened in 1873, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1888 on.

1873first post office
0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Brookdale began

When was Brookdale founded?

1873

The Brookdale post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 9,854153 years
Founding year: the first Brookdale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Brookdale’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Brookdale are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18888 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1995. Watch Brookdale change.Old housesHalf of Brookdale’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Brookdale’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brookdale’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Brookdale on the map, 1888 to 1995

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

Brookdale on the 1888 USGS mapBrookdale on the 1892 USGS mapBrookdale on the 1900 USGS mapBrookdale on the 1947 USGS mapBrookdale on the 1955 USGS mapBrookdale on the 1970 USGS mapBrookdale on the 1981 USGS mapBrookdale on the 1995 USGS map1888Paterson 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 Brookdale.

The story

How Brookdale came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Brookdale.

Read it all →

The original English name of Brookdale was Stone House Plains. "Stone House" referred to a rock formation known as the stone house or great rock, supposedly once suitable as a shelter, just north of the present-day intersection of Bellevue Avenue and Newell Drive. The rock was still present in 1802 but was removed not long afterward. "Plains" referred to the plains of the segment of the Yantecaw River which passes through the area.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Brookdale

Nobody well known was born in Brookdale itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Grover Cleveland22nd & 24th President of the United States (188… · b. 1837
Z
Zoe SaldañaAmerican actress · b. 1978
P
Paul RuddAmerican actor · b. 1969
Vera FarmigaAmerican actress · b. 1973
William Carlos WilliamsAmerican poet · b. 1883
Richard ThalerAmerican economist · b. 1945
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Bloomfield Township5 historic placesA+Nutley Township3 historic placesB+Glen Ridge2 historic placesA

Questions about Brookdale’s history

What year was Brookdale founded?

The Brookdale post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.