Brookline History..... |
A small community of about 4,700 residents, Brookline is located on the Massachusetts border, just west of Hollis. It is a town that has experienced much growth in recent years, but it remains a quaint, rural village. About 8,000 of Brookline’s 13,000 acres remain undeveloped. This is despite a recent growth spurt that prompted the Planning Board to introduce an ordinance limiting the number of building permits given out each year. That ordinance has been in place since 1994 and will likely remain on the books as a way to help Brookline preserve its rural character. Quiet country roads and homes tucked away on wooded lots define Brookline. It is this small-town appeal that has brought many new residents to the town in recent years. One result has been growing school enrollments, which have led to the expansion of Brookline Elementary School, the investigation of building a middle school in Brookline, and the construction of a new Hollis/Brookline High School. The town was established in 1769, carved out of several surrounding pieces of land. The establishment of the Hollis Meetinghouse left residents in the western part of that town dissatisfied and petitioned to become a separate town. The new town, called Raby, was made up of the western part of Hollis, the Mile Slip (an unsurveyed piece of land between Brookline and Mason) and the part of Townsend, Mass., left in New Hampshire after the boundary was settled in 1741. Raby was named for a town in England where many of the residents’ ancestors had come from. In 1786, because of its small size, Raby petitioned to be enlarged and a 3/4-mile piece of Hollis was added. The name was changed to Brookline in 1789. A number of historical homes and buildings are located in the town center, including the Florence Barnaby house, which is now the headquarters of the Brookline Historical Society. The former Brookline Railroad Station, now a private home, is another historical landmark. The Talbot-Taylor Wildlife Sanctuary, Nissitissit River and Lake Potanipo are popular sites for outdoor enthusiasts. |
|
||||||
|
