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.

In this remarkable new photographic history, local historian and photographer Dennis LeBeau presents a heartwarming tale of life in the Brookfields at the turn of the century. The photographs in this collection are those of William Bullard, an itinerant photographer in the 1890s and early 1900s from North Brookfield, whose work has never before been published in book form. The story of Bill Bullard's life and photographic legacy are dramatically revealed in this fascinating glimpse into the past. After the photographer's untimely and tragic demise, the rich photographic archives of Bill Bullard were carefully preserved by his brother, Charlie Bullard, and three generations of the neighboring Gaudette family. Dennis LeBeau has individually reprinted each image in this collection from its original glass plate negative. Mr. LeBeau's researched and well-informed captions accompany the photographs in Bullard's collection, creating a comprehensive historic portrait of both the Brookfields and the Bullard family.