Salmon Falls River Watershed

Mountain Lake lies to the east of Copple Crown Mountain in the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Jones Brook Wildlife Management Area. It is 12 acres in size with a small dam at its northern end. The only development along the lake is Hanson Road which borders it to the east. Hanson Brook flows out of the northern end of Mountain Lake. The brook passes over the dam and runs north through a small marsh area. Leaving the Wildlife Management Area, the brook turns east along Moose Mountain Road. It then crosses the road and joins Churchill Brook near a few homes on a private road.

Kingswood Lake is located along Wentworth Road less than a mile west of Brookfield town center. The entire shoreline of this 235 acre lake is developed with homes, many of which have docks on the water. The lake is home to at least four species of game fish including rainbow trout. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services maintains a dam at the southern end of the lake and releases water every fall. A small intermittent stream drains past this dam and flows southeast through a half mile stretch of forest to join Churchill Brook. This brook begins in a forested area east of Tumble Down Dick Road. It flow east through the forest for over a mile before it passes a farm on Governors Road. Churchill Brook crosses the road and flows past a forested area on Sanborn Road. It then travels east for another half mile until it joins Pike Brook.

Locke Brook flows into Brookfield from Wakefield, near several homes on Garney Road. After passing the road, the brook runs through a small forested area and then joins Pike Brook. This 7 mile long brook originates near the village of Stoneham Corners. For most of its length in Brookfield the brook is bordered by forested and emergent wetland. Pike Brook runs along railroad tracks for almost two miles, encountering little development, until it passes under a bridge on Clark Road near several homes. The brook then runs for another mile and a half, through forest and wetlands, and then emerges in a residential area along Wentworth Road near Brookfield’s border with Wakefield. The brook crosses the road, passing numerous homes and businesses where it is joined by Churchill Brook and passes into Wakefield.

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Brookfield is a relatively small town with a 2006 population of only 665 residents. It is rural and mostly forested, with several mountains to the south and farms scattered residential neighborhoods in the north. Development is concentrated primarily along Route 109 and Stoneham Road. Brookfield’s population is expected to increase over 40% by 2030. This represents an increase of 285 residents which though relatively small, could place pressure on undeveloped areas of town.

There are two major parcels of conservation land in Brookfield. The Copple Crown Conservation Area is a publicly accessible, 732 acre parcel surrounding Copple Crown Mountain and is managed by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. The Jones Brook Wildlife Management Area is owned by the state and managed by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. This 1,500 acre preserve spans across the town border with Middleton and includes Moose, Perkins and Rand Mountains.

In 2007, almost 67% of Brookfield’s area was in current use tax status. This included 8,773 acres of forest and 409 acres of farmland. However, this designation does not provide permanent protection and incentives to develop may decrease these numbers in the future.

Brookfield’s primary recreational opportunities center around hiking in the major conservation areas. There are also coldwater fisheries in Pike and Churchill Brooks.

Settled in 1726 by Scotch-Irish immigrants, the town was first named Coleraine. It was later named Brookfield, after a town of the same name in Massachusetts, and was made part of Middleton. In 1794, it became an independent town, a popular settlement for farmers because of the fertile ground.