
The 1830 Town Map of Brookfield from the Massachusetts Archives

The Town of Brookfield (Mass.) was mapped in great detail – and beautifully – on the 1830 town plan. This closeup of West Brookfield from the larger map actually draws the School House, Female Seminary, and Congregational Meetinghouse etc. We have no 1830’s photography to prove otherwise , but it seems likely these are true pictures of those old buildings. 190 years ago! The unlabelled squares show other houses and businesses – a busy village with about 60 buildings.
Drawn buildings are found in several places on the Brookfield map. We count 27 buildings pictured with windows, rooflines etc. Thanks to surveyor Heman Stebbins for this nice work. The title of the map reports “actual survey in 1829 and 1830”

The surveys for the map were done in 1829 and 1830 pursuant to a state law. All Massachusetts towns were required to make a good survey and send it to Boston so that an accurate state map could be made.
It took 14 years (!!) to produce the “Borden” state map. By that time the railroad was in being built so it was added on the 1844 map.






Mapmaker Stebbins also provides a 21 line narrative of historical facts:
Brookfield (Mass.) or Quaboag was purchased of Shadookis by Ens. Thomas Cooper, for certain inhabitants of Ipswick Nov. 10th A.D. 1665, equal to six miles square for “500 fathom of wampumpeage,” about 250 dollars. The town was incorporated Oct. 1773. In 1775 it contained about [ ] houses and a house for public worship; it was burnt (one house only exepted) Aug. 1775 … In 1741 the S.W. part of the town, with parts of other towns, was incorporated by the name of Western. The N.E. part of the Town was incorporated as the 2nd Parish in 1750; and as a distinct town, by the name of N. Brookfield in 1812. In 1754 the S.E and S. parts of the Town were incorporated as a third precinct. There are in Brookfield several meetinghouses, one Con. + one Methodist in the first precinct, two Cong. one Baptist one Universalist in the 3rd Precinct. It is pleasantly upon the Chickopee River 60 miles Westerly from Boston and 20 miles Westerly of Worcester. (partial transcript)


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Prints of the Brookfield map and all of the other 1830s series Town Plans are available at shop.old-maps.com. We have done minor edits edit to the Mass Archives scans by adding margins to make them easier to frame, and have added a title and caption.


