Brookline
Massachusetts
Town of Brookline
History:
Brookline's beginnings were rural; its land was originally parceled out to citizens of Boston as allotment farmlands in the 1630's. As allotment holders found it convenient to live close to their crops and livestock, a settlement grew up around the "Muddy River Hamlet". By the end of the seventeenth century, its inhabitants had built a school house, laid out three major roads, obtained exemption from paying taxes to Boston, and were petitioning the Massachusetts General Court for independence.
After three attempts, a petition to be a separate town, signed by 32 freeholders, was granted on November 13, 1705. The Muddy River hamlet was formally incorporated as the Town of Brookline. Samuel Sewall, son of Judge Sewall of Salem Witch Trials fame, lent the community his services as the first Town Clerk and, it is thought, the name of his family's "Brooklin" lands, which lay between the Charles and Muddy Rivers. A Town Meeting and Selectmen governed the Town, then, and still do today.
The residents of Brookline in the early eighteenth century were almost all farmers, many cultivating lands inherited from their fathers or acquired through marriage. Some of their names, such as Heath, Winchester, Clark, Aspinwall, and Devotion, remain with us today as street and neighborhood identifications. Zabdiel Boylston of Brookline, a physician, and uncle of John Adams, earned initial notoriety and enduring fame by introducing inoculation against smallpox to the American colonies in 1721.
By 1775, Brookline, with the rest of Massachusetts, was ready for greater independence from king and country across the water. William Dawes who rode along the Road to the Colleges (now Harvard Street) alerted Brookline that the British were marching on Concord. Three companies of Brookline volunteers mustered on the Town Green at the intersection of Walnut and Warren Streets and headed west, meeting the retreating British at North Cambridge and participating in their rout. One of their number, Isaac Gardner, was reportedly the only Harvard graduate among the patriots to die that day. The following spring, spurred on by John Goddard, a Brookline farmer and a fiery patriot who was to become Wagon-Master General for the Continental Army; the Brookline Town Meeting resolved that if "the Honorable Congress should, for the safety of the American Colonies, declare them independent of the Kingdom of Great Briton, then we. . . will solemnly engage with our Lives and fortune to support them."
Brookline's evolution from an agricultural to a suburban residential community began when wealthy merchants purchased large farms and built summer homes. Senator George Cabot and Samuel and Thomas Hanasyd Perkins were among the first, followed later in the nineteenth century by Theodore Lyman, John Lowell Gardner, Ignatius Sargent, Henry Lee, and Augustus Lowell. David Sears and Amos Lawrence were so taken with their Brookline estates that they gradually expanded them and laid them out as small communities where their friends, relations, and later buyers might join them in country living at Longwood or Cottage Farm.
As transportation routes were developed, making Brookline readily accessible to Boston, the population grew rapidly. In 1806, the Boston-Worcester Turnpike (now Route 9) replaced the old Sherburne Road (Walnut and Heath Street) as the Town's major highway and the main road west from Boston. Mill Dam Road was opened in 1821, extending Beacon Street into Brookline. This consummated Brookline's transition to the desirable commuter suburb that it is today.
The great nineteenth-century architect H.H. Richardson chose to live in Brookline as did his friend and colleague Frederick Law Olmsted. Considered to be the founder of landscape architecture in America, Olmsted served on the Town's Planning Board. Amy Lowell and John and Robert Kennedy were born here; physicians Walter Channing, George Minot, and William Murphy and Nobel laureate John Enders, horticulturist Charles Sprague Sargent, and musicians Serge Koussevitsky, Arthur Fiedler and Roland Hayes are some of the many notables who have been Town residents.
Recent News
Town of Brookline Senior Center News And Programming Highlights
BSC HIGHLIGHTS FOR THIS WEEK Monday, February 13 at 1:00 pm at the Senior Center, join Suzy Buchanan, Executive Director of the Shirley-Eustis House, for an interesting presentation in honor of Black History Month. How do we tell the history of…
Read More »Town of Brookline Senior Center News And Programming Highlights
BSC HIGHLIGHTS FOR THIS WEEK Monday, February 13 at 1:00 pm at the Senior Center, join Suzy Buchanan, Executive Director of the Shirley-Eustis House, for an interesting presentation in honor of Black History Month. How do we tell the history of…
Read More »Town of Brookline Update From The Driscoll Project Team - February 10, 2023
Dear Driscoll Neighbors: Please see the links below with information and timelines regarding an update on the construction around the Driscoll School. Owner's Project Manager's (OPM) Weekly Report: 2/6 - 2/10 If you have any questions or…
Read More »Town of Brookline Update From The Driscoll Project Team - February 3, 2023
Dear Driscoll Neighbors: Please see the links below with information and timelines regarding an update on the construction around the Driscoll School. Three Week Look-Aheads: 1/23 - 2/19 Owner's Project Manager's (OPM) Weekly Report: 1/30 - 2/3…
Read More »Town of Brookline Senior Center News and Programming Highlights - February 3, 2023
Brookline Senior Center News and Programming Highlights BROOKLINECAN’S LIVABLE COMMUNITY ADVOCACY SERIES Join us to discuss the challenges facing Brookline's government today, including the special concerns of Brookline's older…
Read More »Town Of Brookline : Update From The Driscoll Project Team - January 27, 2023
Click Here to View the Information About Town Of Brookline : Update From The Driscoll Project Team - January 27,…
Read More »Town Of Brookline Brookline Senior Center Update And Newsletter February 2023
Welcome to February 2023! The Senior Center will be closed on Monday, February 20th in celebration of President’s Day. Join us for a special Valentine’s Day Traditions program on Wednesday, February 8th at 1:00 PM, and a celebration of…
Read More »Town of Brookline Senior Center News And Programming Highlights
Click Here To View The Town of Brookline Senior Center News And Programming Highlights
Read More »Town of Brookline News : The Brookline Brighton Allston Business Bootcamp is Back!
The Brookline Brighton Allston Business Bootcamp is back! Meet with other local business people, learn, and have fun! If you are a business owner or operator in Brighton, Allston, or Brookline you can apply for this no cost, interactive virtual…
Read More »Town of Brookline News - Winter Guide and Snow Regulations
Winter Guide and Snow Regulations To view and download the Winter Guide, visit: Winter Guide brochure To see information on our Enforcement Policies, visit: Enforcement Policies Sign up for alerts through AlertBrookline by clicking…
Read More »Town of Brookline Update From The Driscoll Project Team - January 20, 2023
Dear Driscoll Neighbors: Please see the links below with information and timelines regarding an update on the construction around the Driscoll School. Owner's Project Manager's (OPM) Weekly Report: 1/16 - 1/21 If you have any questions or…
Read More »Town of Brookline News Brookline Brighton Allston Business Bootcamp
Learn Best Social Media Marketing, Branding, Public Relations, and Cyber Security Practices from BU and BC Presenters! Brookline, Brighton, and Allston small business people are invited to the Business Bootcamp Information Session tomorrow,…
Read More »Town of Brookline Commission on Disability News - Access Brookline (The Patch) January 2023
Access Brookline (The Patch) January 2023 A monthly selection of accessibility-related news, events, and information from the Brookline Commission on Disability (BCOD). Click here to View More Information About Town of Brookline Commission on…
Read More »Town Of Brookline : Update From The Driscoll Project Team - January 13, 2023
Dear Driscoll Neighbors: Please see the links below with information and timelines regarding an update on the construction around the Driscoll School. - Three Week Look-Aheads: 1/9 - 1/14 If you have any questions or concerns about the…
Read More »Town of Brookline News : Santander's Cultivate Small Business Program
Friends- The application deadline for the 2023 Santander’s Cultivate Small Business is January 27th! This FREE 12-week course is like a mini-MBA for emerging food businesses who've been in business for at least 1 year. The online class is…
Read More »Town of Brookline News: Update from the Driscoll Project Team - December 23, 2022
Dear Driscoll Neighbors: Please see the links below with information and timelines regarding an update on the construction around the Driscoll School. Three Week Look-Aheads: 12/19 - 1/8 Owner's Project Manager's (OPM) Weekly Report: 12/19 -…
Read More »Town of Brookline News - COVID/Flu Business Notice December 2022
December 2022 COVID/Flu Business Notice The Brookline Public Health & Human Services Department would like to work with Brookline businesses to promote a healthy winter for all. We are seeing an early increase in flu cases and reports of…
Read More »Town of Brookline News: Update from the Driscoll Project Team - December 16, 2022
Town of Brookline News: Update from the Driscoll Project Team - December 16, 2022 Dear Driscoll Neighbors: Please see the links below with information and timelines regarding an update on the construction around the Driscoll School. - Three…
Read More »Town of Brookline News Trash Delay From - December 25, 2022 - January 7, 2023
Refuse and recycling collection will be interrupted for the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday. Both holidays will be observed on the Monday proceeding the actual holiday (12/26/22 and 1/2/23 respectively). Residents shall place their refuse…
Read More »Town of Brookline News - Time Sensitive Brookline Restaurant Opportunities
Time Sensitive Brookline Restaurant Opportunities A lot's cooking in Brookline! We thought that you might be interested in participating in one or more of these upcoming no cost Brookline business opportunities, managed by the Brookline…
Read More »Town of Brookline News Last Day For Gas Powered Leaf Blowers Is December 31, 2022
The last day to operate gas powered leaf blowers is December 31st. Gas powered leaf blowers will be permitted again starting March 15, 2023. For more information on leaf blower by-laws and regulations click: here to view and download a…
Read More »Town of Brookline Update From The Driscoll Project Team December 2, 2022
Dear Driscoll Neighbors: Please see the links below with information and timelines regarding an update on the construction around the Driscoll School. Owner's Project Manager's (OPM) Weekly Report: 11/28 - 12/2 If you have any questions or…
Read More »Town of Brookline Senior Center Update and Newsletter - December 2022
DECEMBER 2022 BROOKLINE SENIOR CENTER UPDATE & NEWSLETTER Happy December! The Senior Center will be closed on Monday, December 26th in celebration of Christmas, and on Monday, January 2nd, in celebration of New Year’s. As always,…
Read More »Attend EPA's Dec 6th Webinar : Integrated Pest Management For Restaurants
For restaurants, it is important to keep away pests that are looking for food, water, and shelter inside. This webinar will highlight common challenges with pests and sustainable strategies to prevent and control them. Webinar Details Dec. 6,…
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