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History · Brooklyn

Brooklyn’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Brooklyn. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1832established
0old images & papers
2historic places
16recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The village was founded by Calvin Swain, who filed the first land claim on June 16, 1832, and named his settlement Swainsville. In a town meeting vote on August 5, 1836, the community elected to change the town's name to Brooklyn. The town is named after Brooklyn, New York.

The area has historically been a summer vacation spot for residents of metropolitan Detroit who owned cottages near lakes in the area.

The Ford Motor Company Brooklyn Plant opened in 1939. It made parts for B-24 bombers during World War II. Then, after the war, it made components for Ford cars and trucks through 1966, when the plant was closed.

The Michigan International Speedway opened in 1968. It is used primarily for NASCAR events.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Brooklyn’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brooklyn’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Brooklyn

See all 3 →
Robert PostRobert PostPolitics & LawAMAaron MosesFilm, TV & StageLPLouisa Fidelia PalmerNotable
By decade

Brooklyn, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today16 photos
Old Storefronts inCommonsOld Storefronts in2013Old Storefronts inCommonsOld Storefronts in2013Old Storefronts inCommonsOld Storefronts in2013Old Storefronts in Brooklym, MichiganCommonsOld Storefronts in Brooklym, Michigan2013Old Storefronts in Brooklym, MichiganCommonsOld Storefronts in Brooklym, Michigan2013Old Storefronts in Brooklym, MichiganCommonsOld Storefronts in Brooklym, Michigan2013Old Storefronts in Brooklym, MichiganCommonsOld Storefronts in Brooklym, Michigan2013The Brooklyn Ford FactoryCommonsThe Brooklyn Ford Factory2012Saint Patrick Statue, Saint Joseph Parish Family Center, 8743 US 12CommonsSaint Patrick Statue, Saint Joseph Parish Family Center, 87…2012Brooklyn FordCommonsBrooklyn Ford2012St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 11151 U.S. Highway 12CommonsSt. Mark's Lutheran Church, 11151 U.S. Highway 122011St. Joseph's Family Center, 8743 US 12 at Egan HighwayCommonsSt. Joseph's Family Center, 8743 US 12 at Egan Highway2011Saint Joseph Church and Shrine, 8743 U.S. 12CommonsSaint Joseph Church and Shrine, 8743 U.S. 122011Mill Street-South Branch Raisin River BridgeCommonsMill Street-South Branch Raisin River Bridge2011Brooklyn Michigan downtown areaCommonsBrooklyn Michigan downtown area2010MIMap-doton-BrooklynCommonsMIMap-doton-Brooklyn2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Brooklyn is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Brooklyn has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Ford Motor Company Brooklyn Plant in Columbia, 0.4 miles away.

Brooklyn and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Brooklyn. Tap a dot.
Ford Motor Company Brooklyn PlantMill Street-South Branch Raisin River BridgeWalker TavernWalker's, S., HotelSaint Michael and All Angels' Episcopal Church and Cambridge Township CemeteryKentucky Homestead

Closest to Brooklyn

Ford Motor Company Brooklyn PlantColumbia · Built 19380.4miMill Street-South Branch Raisin River BridgeColumbia · Built 19250.4miWalker TavernCambridge · Building3.4miWalker's, S., HotelCambridge · Building3.5miSaint Michael and All Angels' Episcopal Church and Cambridge Township CemeteryCambridge · District3.8mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Ford Motor Company Brooklyn Plant’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Brooklyn?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Brooklyn’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Columbia📜 Norvell📜 Cement City📜 Napoleon

From Wikimedia Commons (16) and the National Register (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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