Brookfield

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.