4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 14 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1924 on and the census since 1790.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brookfield is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brookfield’s overall grade.
Vermont towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Vermont town has 147 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Brookfield’s 108 sits near the middle of its state (60% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 16 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1781.
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 (±12.5 points).
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.
Lost two-thirds of its people between 1840 and 1960, then more than doubled.
24 censuses, 1790–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Brookfield’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Brookfield’s post office has been open since 1818. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Brookfield
1818–today
East Brookfield
1829–1954
West Brookfield
1833–1836
West Brookfield
1889–1907
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Brookfield CenterEast BrookfieldWest Brookfield
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Brookfield
Brookfield Center NewBrookfield Center OldCenter CemeteriesEast BrookfieldWest Brookfield
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Brookfield, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Brookfield yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Brookfield is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. It was created by Vermont charter on August 5, 1781. The population was 1,244 at the 2020 census. Brookfield is best known for its floating bridge which spans Sunset Lake buoyed by pontoons. The bridge, which is the only floating bridge east of the Mississippi River, was originally built in 1820 by Luther Adams and his neighbors. Sunset Lake is also the site of an annual ice harvesting festival. Brookfield boasts that it has Vermont's oldest continually operating library dating back to 1791. In 2006, Brookfield was one of the first American towns to have its citizens pass a resolution endorsing the impeachment of President Georg…
Brookfield was established in 1781. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,292 to 1,244 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Brookfield, 1781 to 1954
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1781, according to Wikidata. Brookfield’s post office opened in 1818, and the first U.S. census counted 419 people here in 1790.
How does Brookfield rank for history?
Brookfield is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. 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?
4 listings: 2 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Brookfield Village Historic District and the Allis State Park, with 14 contributing buildings. 16 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Brookfield?
36% of Brookfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.5 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (8), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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