History of Brookfield

Town of Brookfield

In 1784 the federal government acquired a section of land from the Iroquois nation west of the Unadilla River known today as the town of Brookfield. In 1791 Stephen Hoxie and a young companion traveled from Rhode Island as agents for would-be-settlers to purchase land in this newly opened territory. In Albany, Hoxie bought 13 lots in Brookfield, sight unseen. He would soon discover the beauty, wealth of resources, and viability of his investment.
Concurrently, Captain Daniel Brown and his family were journeying westward to homestead on this land. These two men were not only among the first settlers, but were soon to become the first entrepreneurs in Brookfield.
Brookfield possessed abundant natural resources. Two of its greatest assets were the rolling hills covered with numerous varieties of timber and several strong and swift waterways Iying in the valleys in between. The Unadilla River forms Brookfield's eastern border. Beaver Creek (so named for a large dam built by the industrious creatures of the same name) almost bisects the town from north to south. Mill Creek runs between these two over numerous falls and a branch of the Chenango River cuts across the northwest corner of the town.
It was on Mill Creek in 1792 that Brown built the first sawmill. Another early settler, John Button, built the first gristmill a short distance away near a 70-foot waterfall on the creek which was thereafter known as Button's Falls.
These developments began a period of rapid settlement in the area. The pioneers for whom Hoxie bought parcels of land journeyed to Brookfield to claim their land and establish farms. However, at this time three wealthy Eastern speculators, Michael Myers, Jedidiah Sanger, and John I. Morgan bought up a great deal of the unsold government lands in Brookfield and Sangerfield. Some of this land was subsequently sold to settlers, but the largest portions were merely leased to area emigrants. For nearly a century, this land was controlled and leased by these men and their descendants greatly impeding progress and improvements in the town. Many of the earliest settlers moved on not wishing to continually farm and pay rent to landlords to seek lands of their own to purchase or homestead. It was not until the descendants of some of these men began to sell their shares in the property that Brookfield increased in the number of small, individual landholders. Even today, however, a large portion of the southwest quarter of the town is state-owned property, repurchased for its forestry and other natural resources.
In spite of this limitation on the amount of land open to purchase by the early settlers, those who were able to buy land tended to build their homesteads and watermills along the waterways. Most of the communities in Brookfield were established around such mills. Mill Creek and Beaver Creek were seen as ideal for such enterprises and many saw- and gristmills sprang up along their banks. The village of Brookfield (previously Clarkville) was one of the earliest settlements on Beaver Creek. A gristmill on the Unadilla River was the beginning of the settlement of Leonardsville so named for Reuben Leonard, a wealthy entrepreneur and the first storeowner in the area. To the north of Leonardsville, the village of Unadilla Forks also had a mill as its focus.
Severe flooding, often due to the spring thaws, was all too common along these waterways and several of the early mills were destroyed. Some owners simply rebuilt, others relocated to what they thought were safer locations. As the milling settlements grew, other small scale manufactories and businesses opened, such as tanneries, potasheries, wagon shops, and farm equipment suppliers. All of these were mainly for trade within the town and few of these business ventures grew much beyond their k~cal clientele.
The villages of North and South Brookfield were settled a bit later, the former on a tributary of the Chenango River in the northwest corner of the town and the latter on Beaver Creek. Both sites were ideal for the popular and potentially prosperous sawmills and gristmills which were quickly established. The area around North Brookfield also proved to be well suited to the growing of hops. Another successful business in North Brookfield was the wagon factory of Gorton and Fitch.
Until the Civil War, lumbering small crop farming, and dairy herding were the most common activities of the area's settlers. The farmers tended not to specialize, leaving the main industry of milling to the local merchants and entrepreneurs. Specialization in farming began in the 1860s as pasture land was gradually cleared and could support larger dairy herds. One of these early dairy farmers established a cheese factory on his land to process the enormous quantities of milk his herds produced. His example was soon followed by other dairy farmers and as the manufacture of cheese grew, so did the demand for milk and these mutually reinforcing endeavors made dairy farming a profitable venture.
Cheese factories opened in Brookfield, Leonardsville, Unadilla Forks, West Edmeston, and North Brookfield in rapid succession. One of the more elaborate factories was a chain of processing plants in Unadilla Forks opened in 1863, powered by steam engines, and owned by E. D. Lamb.
Two other points of interest set Brookfield apart from the other towns in Madison county. Sources vary slightly, but it is generally accepted that the first county fair was held in Brookfield in 1839, sponsored by the Madison County Agricultural Society. For several years the fair traveled the county, setting up at a different site every year. It finally settled in Brookfield as its permanent home after the northern parts of the county expressed little interest in hosting the fair. It has been on its present site in the village of Brookfield for nearly a century, having grown from an initial three acres rented from a local farmer to its present 38 acres including numerous permanent exhibit halls and a racetrack.
The fair's exhibitors have come from all parts of the county and even include a few traveling exhibits from other parts of the state. Most activities and competitions reflect the county's wide range of livelihoods and interests including livestock competitions, handcrafts, garden produce, baking, farm implements, 4-H activities, and horse show. Of course it would not be a fair without central amusement park rides, games and food stalls. The county fair has had cycles of both attendance and participation, but still thrives and is supported by both county and out-of-county enthusiasts.

Part of the Madison County Fairgrounds ( in the mid 1800's)

In the early years the madison county fair had mainly flea markets, farming booths, many different types of animal shows, and a place for the towns people to hangout and have a good time.

Giles School House

The Brookfield District 21 one-room school called the Giles School, was in operation from 1813 to 1935. After its merger into the Brookfield Central School District, the building was used as a dwelling. In the early 1990's, it was offered to the Brookfield Township Historical Society, if the society would have it moved from the owner's property. After two years of restoration it is shown and used!

Blacksmith Shop


The old Brookfield Hotel. ( in the mid to late 1800's)

This Hotel was located on Main St. in Brookfield.
The hotel was home to many little busiess(Beaver Vision. that was a place to rent movies and hangout and play pool and other popular games)until the early to mid 1990's, and in 1999 it was torn town after the owner vandalized it for many years then sold it to the Beaver Den Diner, now a parking lot is located there.

The old train station in North Brookfield. (mid to late 1800's)

This train station still stands today, along with the railroad tracks they also are still in use, but not for passenger trains..
It is now a place to eat and also a little store.
The water tower does not standing now.
The North Brookfield Fire Dept. uses the well underneath for a water source.
The well is supplied by 9 mile swamp.

More History on Brookfield & alittle bit on Madison County



Most people do not realize that Madison County's land area has actually existed under a number of names, its first was the wilderness land area of New York known as Tryon which later was named Montgomery County! The land at that time belonged to the Iroquois Nation. George Clinton, the Governor of New York, obtained the land from the Indians in 1788, which was later divided.
In 1791 Montgomery County was divided into Chenango County and the parcel became known as "The Chenango Twenty Towns." Then on March 21, 1806, it was set off as what is today Madison County, named after President James Madison.
Many of our towns claim the first settlement in Madison County, but in truth, much of the early settling was done at the same time, about 1791-1795.

Communities first sprung up as log cabin settlements, some with fine stone houses, and then by 1800 as clap board houses and flat board barns. Many of the old original structures still stand today in many of the different towns, so lets start our tour with of of these and the town it is in, Timothy Brown's "Spirit House" in Georgetown.
To visit individual towns click one or just continue!
Georgetown - Madison - Cazenovia - DeRuyter - Smithfield
Hamilton - Brookfield - Nelson - Stockbridge - Eaton
Oddly enough, the citizens of this early community wanted to name it Washington after the beloved first President George Washington. The government informed them that there were already too many Washingtons, so they were persuaded to change it. They did, they called it Georgetown. Among its many early settlers was the mysterious Louis Anthe Muller who in 1810 built his Muller Mansion.
Muller came from France after Napoleon took power, leading many people to believe that he was Charles X in hiding. Some also believed that Muller's wife was the daughter of Peter Stuyvesant, a descendant of the former Governor of New York, others sources say that deeds claimed it to be Adeline or Amy Brown. (For more on Muller and Muller Hill click here!)
Whatever the case, Louis Anthe Muller would return toFrance after Napolean's fall in 1837 and the Muller Mansion would be purchased by Stuyvestant's son Nicholas for his grandchildren, fostering suspicions that these children were the three children Muller left behind.
Eventually the Muller Mansion would become a popular tourist spot on hot Sunday afternoons when the fashionable would picnic there,and take a piece of something as a souvenir. (One such piece is held by the Madison County Historical Society in Oneida in its 100 year collection.)
Georgetown's treasured "Spirit House" is still standing today in fine condition. The house which looks like a ginger bread house in white, was one of two unusual houses built by spiritualist Timothy Brown. Brown claimed that it was the "Spirits" that guided him to build it. His first house was a very ornate home with fancy roof attachments that ended with what appeared to be hanging balls. The house was rightfully called the "House with Green Balls". This house is also still standing below Georgetown and perhaps they both have survived, protected some say by "the spirits"!
Even today the architecture of both houses amazes the professional and the common passer-by!
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Town of Brookfield
Brookfield has been the site of the Madison County Fair since its start in 1849! The Fair was originally organized by the Brookfield Agricultural Society.
Brookfield like the other early settlements of what is now Madison County trace their roots back to the early 1790's. In 1791 Stephen Hoxie, a land agent, puchased lots in the newly surveyed area of the frontier. With Hoxie was a young teenager named Phineas Babcock. Brookfield of today was once the edge of what was "settled" and what was Indian Territory and fronteir.
Brookfield claims the first Fourth of July in what is now Madison County, as it is on that date that Captain Daniel Brown felled the first trees to start his homestead. Brown was a clothier from Connecticut and had served in the 6th Company in the Town of Stonnington, Connecticut.
Brookfield's progress continued because of the waterways within the township which include the famous Unadilla River. The river was long a traveling route of the bloody Mohawk Chief Joseph Brandt. Brandt was a British supporter during the Revolutionary War and reeked havoc on the early settlers of the frontier. The river of course, became the power for the many mills that sprang up in Leonardsville and West Edmeston.
Brookfield Baptist Church
The Hamlet of Brookfield, once called Bailey's Corners and Clarkville, became Brookfield in the 1890's.
Though many people think of Brookfield as the home of the famous Loomis Gang, it wasn't. The Loomis family actually lived a "Stones throw" over the top of Cole's Hill. All agree, however, that it was one of their favorite haunt's. While at the Brookfield Fair I heard a charming story about the Brookfield Sheriff that frequently chased the loomis family. It is said that he is buried at the top of Cole's Hill Cemetery facing the edge of the township, so that he can keep an eye out for the coming of the Loomis Gang even today!

For more on the Loomis Gang click on link below

http://www.borg.com/~wpl/loomis2.htm

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