The first published history of West Brookfield entitled “A History of West Brookfield 1675-1990” written by Jeffrey H. Fiske can be purchased locally at the Post & Boot, the Purple Onion, the Merriam Public Library, the Quaboag Historical Society Museum, and the West Brookfield Town Hall. The cost is $39.95 for a limited time. If you purchase the book on line the price is $49.99 including shipping. The hard cover book with dust jacket is 385 pages and includes chapters covering: Quaboag Plantation, creation of the town, religion, education, agriculture, business and industry, transportation, military, government, sports and recreation, organizations, buildings, people along with 140 nostalgic images. The Forward of the book is written by State Senator Stephen M. Brewer (D-Barre). The book was published by the West Brookfield Historical Commission.
The Town of West Brookfield is rich in history and central to our nation’s very beginnings. Today, visitors will experience a small, rural New England town with a picturesque common. Lake Wickaboag and the Quaboag River are the dominant natural features of the town.
In the early 1660’s, this lake and river were home to the Quaboag Indians. There were several village sites on the shore of the Lake and along the Quaboag River.
We dedicated this book to the Planter Families of the Quaboag Plantation who had the courage to settle in what was a wilderness in 1660 and to those who followed with the vision and dedication that has made West Brookfield the special community that it is today.
In November of 1675, the settlement of Brookfield was abandoned. It was 1686 before records indicate that the resettlement of Brookfield began.
To remember the stories and the people who journeyed to and resided in the Town of West Brookfield, we hope you will read the book “A History of West Brookfield.”