During the early 1700s, Brookfield was first colonized
in an area occupied by the Pootatuck Indians. Hat,
shear, and comb factories arose along the Still River,
enticing settlers, who built farms, churches, and inns. In
1752, land was taken from New Milford, Newtown, and
Danbury to form the Parish of Newbury. By 1788, the town
was incorporated as Brookfield in honor of the area's first
ordained pastor, Rev. Thomas Brooks.
The
town quickly outgrew its horse-and-buggy paths
and one-room schoolhouses. In 1927, Candlewood
Lake was born out of area farmland, flooded to form
the largest man-made lake in Connecticut. Brookfield
depicts the settlement of the area and highlights notable
natives, including Lucia Ruggles Holman, the first
American woman to circumnavigate the globe, and
Sarah Jane Campbell, P.T. Barnum's famous fat lady.