Brookfield, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Brookfield is a town
located in northern Fairfield County
, Connecticut, United States. The population was 16,452 at the 2010 census. First settled in 1710 by John Muirwood and several other colonial founders who bartered for the land From the Wyantenuck Nation Under the Sachem Waramaugs who lived in a enormous Palisade along the Still river. eventually when the town was settledit was established as the Parish of Newbury, which incorporated parts of neighboring Newtown
and Danbury
, the town of Brookfield was established in 1788. It was named after the first minister of the parish's Congregational church
, Reverend Thomas Brooks.
, the town has a total area of 20.4 square miles (52.8 km²), of which 19.8 square miles (51.3 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), or 2.94%, is water.
Other named minor communities and geographic locations in the town are Brookfield Junction, Candlewood Lake East, Candlewood Shores, East Iron Works, Huckleberry Hill, Iron Works, Long Meadow Hill, Obtuse, Pocono Ridge, Prospect Hill, West Iron Works, and Whisconier.
Federation. The Wyantenuck were an off shoot of the Paugusset Nation who lived in present day New Milford. The people that lived here were subsistence farmers, gatherers and hunters. The main food sources were corn, beans, squash and wild foods found in the rocky, heavily forested foot hills of the Berkshire Mountains of Brookfield and New Milford. Such wild foods that were harvested were White Oak acorns , American Chestnuts , Shag bark Hickory nuts , may apples, beach nuts and Solomon seal. The hunted foods that were taken from the forest and rivers were Deer, Passenger Pigeon , Turkey ,Bass , Trout, Cray Fish ,squirrel, rabbit and many more. h In the 18th century the community was called "Newbury", a name that came from the three towns from which its land was taken – New Milford, Newtown, and Danbury.
As traveling to surrounding churches was difficult in winter, in 1752 the General Assembly
granted the community the right to worship in area homes from September through March. In 1754, the General Assembly granted permission for the Parish of Newbury to build its own meeting house and recruit its own minister. On September 28, 1757, the first Congregational Church building was dedicated. The Reverend Thomas Brooks was ordained as the first settled minister. Incorporated in 1778, the town's name was changed to Brookfield in honor of Brooks, who was still the minister.
Along the Still River, mills were in operation as early as 1732 in an area that became known as the Iron Works District. Brookfield was a thriving town with iron furnaces, grist mills, sawmills, comb shops, carding and cotton mills, a paper mill, a knife factory, hat factories, stage-coach shops, lime kilns, harness shops and other plants in operation. The grist mill still stands, as the Brookfield Craft Center
. The Iron Works Aqueduct Company, formed in 1837 to supply water from mountain springs to the Iron Works District, still supplies water as the Brookfield Water Company.
Before 1912 the town had two train stations: one in the Iron Works District near the present Brookfield Market and a second, Junction Station, near the corner of Junction Road and Stony Hill Road.
The Danbury & Bethel Gas and Electric Company brought electricity to Brookfield in 1915. The .475 Wildey Magnum
gun, later made famous in the 1985 Charles Bronson
movie Death Wish 3
, was developed by Wildey J. Moore in Brookfield in the early 1970s (the factory has since moved to Warren, Connecticut
).
In the early 1970s, the town was home to LEGO USA
headquarters.
The White Turkey Inn was razed in 1972. A historic, rambling, and quintessentially New England building, the White Turkey Inn was situated on several bucolic acres with towering trees and ponds at the intersection of U.S. Route 7
/Federal Road and what is now referred to as Candlewood Lake Road.
Some controversy regarding large-scale commercial and residential development is part of ongoing local conversation. Going back to the early 1980s, Brookfield has been radically transformed from a colonial New England town to a major shopping and consumer goods destination. The area surrounding Candlewood Lake has also seen increased residential growth and volume of summer traffic.
, 0.76% Black
or African American
, 0.07% Native American
, 2.48% Asian
, 0.61% from other races
, and 0.79% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
of any race.
There were 5,573 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, slightly under the US average. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $82,706, and the median income for a family was $91,296. Males had a median income of $63,396 versus $36,318 for females. The per capita income for the town was $37,063. About 1.2% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.
, Center School
, Whisconier Middle School, and Huckleberry Hill School. The town parochial school is St. Joseph School.
The Brookfield Craft Center
is a specialized, non-degree school which teaches the skills of craft
smanship and offers courses and workshops to the general public.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
located in northern Fairfield County
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
, Connecticut, United States. The population was 16,452 at the 2010 census. First settled in 1710 by John Muirwood and several other colonial founders who bartered for the land From the Wyantenuck Nation Under the Sachem Waramaugs who lived in a enormous Palisade along the Still river. eventually when the town was settledit was established as the Parish of Newbury, which incorporated parts of neighboring Newtown
Newtown, Connecticut
Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 27,560 at the 2010 census. Newtown was founded in 1705 and incorporated in 1711.-Government:...
and Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
, the town of Brookfield was established in 1788. It was named after the first minister of the parish's Congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, Reverend Thomas Brooks.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 20.4 square miles (52.8 km²), of which 19.8 square miles (51.3 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), or 2.94%, is water.
Principal communities
- Brookfield Four Corners (town center)
- Brookfield CenterBrookfield Center Historic District (Brookfield, Connecticut)The Brookfield Center Historic District in Brookfield, Connecticut is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991...
(original town center, now a historic district)
Other named minor communities and geographic locations in the town are Brookfield Junction, Candlewood Lake East, Candlewood Shores, East Iron Works, Huckleberry Hill, Iron Works, Long Meadow Hill, Obtuse, Pocono Ridge, Prospect Hill, West Iron Works, and Whisconier.
History
Before the English settled the area, it was inhabited by the Paugusset and Wyantenuck Native Americans, members of the AlgonquinAlgonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
Federation. The Wyantenuck were an off shoot of the Paugusset Nation who lived in present day New Milford. The people that lived here were subsistence farmers, gatherers and hunters. The main food sources were corn, beans, squash and wild foods found in the rocky, heavily forested foot hills of the Berkshire Mountains of Brookfield and New Milford. Such wild foods that were harvested were White Oak acorns , American Chestnuts , Shag bark Hickory nuts , may apples, beach nuts and Solomon seal. The hunted foods that were taken from the forest and rivers were Deer, Passenger Pigeon , Turkey ,Bass , Trout, Cray Fish ,squirrel, rabbit and many more. h In the 18th century the community was called "Newbury", a name that came from the three towns from which its land was taken – New Milford, Newtown, and Danbury.
As traveling to surrounding churches was difficult in winter, in 1752 the General Assembly
Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. There are no term limits for either chamber.During...
granted the community the right to worship in area homes from September through March. In 1754, the General Assembly granted permission for the Parish of Newbury to build its own meeting house and recruit its own minister. On September 28, 1757, the first Congregational Church building was dedicated. The Reverend Thomas Brooks was ordained as the first settled minister. Incorporated in 1778, the town's name was changed to Brookfield in honor of Brooks, who was still the minister.
Along the Still River, mills were in operation as early as 1732 in an area that became known as the Iron Works District. Brookfield was a thriving town with iron furnaces, grist mills, sawmills, comb shops, carding and cotton mills, a paper mill, a knife factory, hat factories, stage-coach shops, lime kilns, harness shops and other plants in operation. The grist mill still stands, as the Brookfield Craft Center
Brookfield Craft Center
Brookfield Craft Center, located in Brookfield, Connecticut, is a 501 not-for-profit organization, founded in 1954 with the mission "to teach and preserve the skills of fine craftsmanship and enable creativity and personal growth through craft education."...
. The Iron Works Aqueduct Company, formed in 1837 to supply water from mountain springs to the Iron Works District, still supplies water as the Brookfield Water Company.
Before 1912 the town had two train stations: one in the Iron Works District near the present Brookfield Market and a second, Junction Station, near the corner of Junction Road and Stony Hill Road.
The Danbury & Bethel Gas and Electric Company brought electricity to Brookfield in 1915. The .475 Wildey Magnum
.475 Wildey Magnum
The .475 Wildey Magnum is a semi-automatic pistol cartridge designed for big game hunting in the Wildey pistol.-History:The .475 Wildey Magnum was designed to be a hunting round. Cases are formed from .284 Winchester brass with the neck opened to take a .475" bullet, length is the same as the .45...
gun, later made famous in the 1985 Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
movie Death Wish 3
Death Wish 3
Death Wish 3 is a 1985 action film starring Charles Bronson as vigilante killer Paul Kersey and is the second sequel to the 1974 film Death Wish. It was written by Don Jakoby...
, was developed by Wildey J. Moore in Brookfield in the early 1970s (the factory has since moved to Warren, Connecticut
Warren, Connecticut
Warren is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,254 at the 2000 census. The town was named for Revolutionary War General Joseph Warren....
).
In the early 1970s, the town was home to LEGO USA
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
headquarters.
The White Turkey Inn was razed in 1972. A historic, rambling, and quintessentially New England building, the White Turkey Inn was situated on several bucolic acres with towering trees and ponds at the intersection of U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7 is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Highgate, Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut...
/Federal Road and what is now referred to as Candlewood Lake Road.
Some controversy regarding large-scale commercial and residential development is part of ongoing local conversation. Going back to the early 1980s, Brookfield has been radically transformed from a colonial New England town to a major shopping and consumer goods destination. The area surrounding Candlewood Lake has also seen increased residential growth and volume of summer traffic.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,664 people, 5,572 households, and 4,368 families residing in the town. The population density was 791.1 people per square mile (305.4/km²). There were 5,781 housing units at an average density of 292.0 per square mile (112.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.29% WhiteRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.76% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.07% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.48% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.61% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.79% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 5,573 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, slightly under the US average. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $82,706, and the median income for a family was $91,296. Males had a median income of $63,396 versus $36,318 for females. The per capita income for the town was $37,063. About 1.2% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Active Voters | Inactive Voters | Total Voters | Percentage |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
3,607 | 382 | 3,989 | 37.07% |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
1,801 | 250 | 2,051 | 19.06% |
Unaffiliated | 3,968 | 699 | 4,667 | 43.37% |
Minor Parties | 49 | 6 | 55 | 0.51% | |
| Total | 9,425 | 1,337 | 10,762 | 100% | |||||||||||||||||||||
Education
Brookfield's public schools are Brookfield High SchoolBrookfield High School (Connecticut)
Brookfield High School is a high school in Brookfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut.In the 2006-2007 school year the school had roughly 1000 students. This steep increase was due to one of the largest freshman classes ever, with over 300 people...
, Center School
Center School (Connecticut)
Center School is an elementary school in Brookfield, Connecticut, United States.-History:What is now Center School was originally established in 1938 as the Consolidated School. Consolidated was the unification of five one-room schoolhouses scattered throughout the town, created as a means to...
, Whisconier Middle School, and Huckleberry Hill School. The town parochial school is St. Joseph School.
The Brookfield Craft Center
Brookfield Craft Center
Brookfield Craft Center, located in Brookfield, Connecticut, is a 501 not-for-profit organization, founded in 1954 with the mission "to teach and preserve the skills of fine craftsmanship and enable creativity and personal growth through craft education."...
is a specialized, non-degree school which teaches the skills of craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
smanship and offers courses and workshops to the general public.
Points of interest
- Brookfield Center Historic DistrictBrookfield Center Historic District (Brookfield, Connecticut)The Brookfield Center Historic District in Brookfield, Connecticut is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991...
— Long Meadow Hill Rd. (added September 15, 1991) - Candlewood LakeCandlewood LakeCandlewood Lake, 8.4 sq mi , is located in Fairfield and Litchfield counties of western Connecticut, in the northeastern United States. It is the largest lake in Connecticut...
— the largest lake in Connecticut, Candlewood spans five towns and forms the western border of Brookfield.
Notable residents
- Lester BeallLester BeallLester Beall was a twentieth-century American graphic designer notable as a leading proponent of modernist graphic design in the United States.His clear and concise use of typography was highly praised both in the United States and abroad...
, modern graphic design pioneer. - Julia DeMatoJulia DeMatoJulia Megan DeMato is an American professional cosmetologist and singer who made it to tenth place on the second season on the television show American Idol.-Early life:...
, contestant on American Idol - Will DentonWill DentonWill Denton is an American film and television actor.Best known for playing the role of "Leopold Cain" in the television series Kidnapped , his credits also include the films Robots , Palindromes , and Kinsey .Denton currently lives in Brookfield, Connecticut and is a member of the class of 2012...
, actor on the NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
series KidnappedKidnapped (TV series)Kidnapped is an American television drama series from Sony Pictures Television which aired on NBC from September 20, 2006, to August 11, 2007...
. - M. Jodi RellM. Jodi RellMary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
, governor of Connecticut (in office from 2004–2011, resident since 1969) - Gene SarazenGene SarazenGene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S...
, golfer, won the United States Open, British Open, PGA Championship, and The Masters. He built Sunset Hill Golf Course in Brookfield. - Kari WührerKari WührerKari Samantha Wührer is an American actress and singer, mostly credited as Kari Wuhrer, sometimes as Kari Salin.-Early life:...
(born 1967), actress and singer of Cherokee and German descent.
Media
- WINE-AMWINE (AM)WINE is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Brookfield, Connecticut, USA, it serves the Danbury area. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Licensing Llc. In the 1970's and early 80's WINE was a Top 40 station...
940; 1,000 watts - WRKI-FMWRKIWRKI is a mainstream rock radio station broadcasting from Brookfield, Connecticut. The station plays classic rock with a few currents as part of the music mix....
95.1; 50,000 watts; the station has a "mainstream rock" format and covers Fairfield, Litchfield, New Haven counties in Connecticut and Putnam, Dutchess, Westchester counties in New York