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Local History
The Merrick Public Library’s local history collection includes materials relating to the history of the town of Brookfield and surrounding areas, as well as genealogical materials. The collection consists of books, newspapers, photographs, maps, postcards, yearbooks, town directories, images, street lists, town/annual reports, documents, atlases, vital records, and more.
The library also has a collection of microfilm, which catalogs town records and local newspapers from the 17th – 20th centuries. A sizeable selection of newspapers, which were previously bound and/or on microfilm, have been digitized and are searchable via library computer. These newspapers cover the years 1872-1967, and include publications such as the Brookfield Times, Brookfields’ Union, Spencer Leader, and Spencer Sun.
Town of Brookfield
Thanks to generous donations from local historian and cartographer Robert Wilder (1933-2015), the library houses a substantial map collection. These maps are part of the Robert W. Wilder, Sr. Historical Collection, a compilation of historic material which is also located in the library. In addition to the 54 maps, the Collection includes Mr. Wilder’s collection of local history books and his many files and research papers. Mr. Wilder’s files are stored in archival boxes purchased in his memory by the Friends of the Quabbin.
Robert W. Wilder, Sr.
Brookfield Cemetery Gate
Doing historical or genealogical research online?
Check out these websites:
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quaboag-research.org This is a collection of resources and materials gathered or created in the course of Dan Hamilton's ongoing research into the Massachusetts towns of Brookfield, North Brookfield, East Brookfield, West Brookfield, Warren, New Braintree, and the ancestral entity of all: The Quaboag Plantation.
Courtesy of the Springfield City Library (springfieldlibrary.org), all of the Springfield Republican newspapers, from 1844 to current day, are now available to access online FREE with your C/W MARS library card!
With this access, you can find obituaries, search for names and topics, and browse back issues. Visit bit.ly/spfld-republican and enter your 14-digit library card number to access the entire archive.
If you need to get a library card, or if you have any other questions, please contact the Merrick Public Library, the Springfield Library, or your local library.
