Welcome to Brimfield

Welcome to Brimfield. . Nestled between the Quinebaug and Quaboag Rivers and adorned by two natural bodies of water – Little Alum and Sherman Pond – the Brimfield area … was widely used by Native American prior to European contact. Their network of trails, beginning in Boston and continuing to the Housatonic Valley, became known as the Bay Path. An original section of the Bay Path entered Brimfield from the northeast section and exited through the southwest part of town. , [Caption] “Foskett Mill Stream” – Photo courtesy of Chris and Sue DeBruin , Brimfield was first inhabited by English settlers in the early 1700s. Incorporated in 1731, the town of Brimfield adopted the traditional layout of many New England villages, organized around an open space held as “common lands” for all to use. The town common was once a wild and ungroomed place, heavily traveled by livestock, horses, and wagons. In the mid-1800s Brimfield became the first town in Massachusetts to request and create a design to improve its common, and it became transformed into a public park. , [Caption] “Goat Team” – Photo courtesy of The Danielson-Lincoln Memorial Library Collection , The Brimfield town common was also a training ground for militia. After being alerted to the battles in Lexington and Concord, Brimfield dispatched two companies of militia from this common to join the fight. Brimfield militia, comprised of our farmers, merchants, tradesmen, and sons, proudly joined militias from other Massachusetts communities and New England states in the American Revolution. Brimfield was one of the first towns in the Commonwealth to erect a Civil War monument, dedicated July 4, 1866. Our citizens have answered the call to fight for freedom in every foreign war since our great nation was founded. , [Caption] “World War I Returning Soldiers” – Photo courtesy of The Danielson-Lincoln Memorial Library Collection; photographed by Walter E. Corbin , In 2006, more than 50 properties and sites within this small town were accepted into the National Register of Historic Places. For 300 years, a church has anchored the western end of the common. On the opposite end stands Hitchcock Free Academy, which served as a secondary school for 100 years and today enjoys prominence as a thriving community center. Architecturally diverse historic homes and buildings border the town common and comprise the center village. , [Caption] “Bird's Eye View” – Photo courtesy of The Danielson-Lincoln Memorial Library Collection; Fred T. Parker, publisher , In its time and place in history, Brimfield saw … Three hotels burn, trolleys replace horse-drawn wagons, and automobiles replace trolleys. Brimfield witnessed the construction of the East Brimfield Dam and Reservoir right over the Village of East Brimfield. The strength of the community was tested by repeated floods, the Hurricane of 1938, and an EF3 tornado in 2011. , [Caption] “Brimfield Hotel and Hitchcock Free Academy” – Photo courtesy of The Danielson-Lincoln Memorial Library Collection , Today, Brimfield is home to the Brimfield Antique Show … which draws thousands of visitors three times per year. The flea market has operated continuously since 1959 originating at Auction Acres with auctioneer Gordon Reid Sr. Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy hiking and mountain biking in the Brimfield State Forest, on the Grand Trunk Rail Trail, and in the Nature Preserve at Dingley Dell. Brimfield is proud to be one of nine towns in Massachusetts designated by Congress as part of The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor. , [Caption] “Auction Acres-1962” – Photo courtesy of the Gordon Reid Sr. family; taken by Frank C. Usin with the Springfield Republican