Before the Lake: How Brookfield Changed Forever in the 1920s

Did you know Brookfield used to be part of New Milford? Before it became its own town in 1788, Brookfield was simply the southern parish of its larger neighbor — a quiet farming community made up of fields, mills, and scattered homesteads.

Even more interesting is how Candlewood Lake completely transformed the area.

Before the lake existed, the landscape looked very different. The land that now sits underwater was once farmland, forests, roads, and even small communities. In the 1920s, the Connecticut Light & Power Company (now part of Eversource) launched an ambitious hydroelectric project. Between 1926 and 1928, workers dammed the Housatonic River and flooded thousands of acres to create what would become the largest lake in Connecticut.

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Entire homes were moved or demolished. Roads were rerouted. Bridges were built. Cemeteries were carefully relocated. It was a massive engineering project for its time, designed to generate electricity by pumping water from the Housatonic into the newly formed lake and releasing it back through turbines when demand increased.

When the water finally settled, everything changed.

What had been quiet farmland became prime waterfront property. Summer cottages began popping up along the shoreline. Tourism followed. Boating, fishing, and swimming turned the region into a recreational destination almost overnight.

Over time, those seasonal cottages turned into year-round homes. Brookfield shifted from a primarily agricultural town to a lakeside residential community. Property values rose. New neighborhoods formed. Businesses followed the growth.

Candlewood Lake didn’t just reshape the map — it reshaped Brookfield’s identity. What started as a hydroelectric power project ended up redefining the town’s economy, population, and future. The lake also happens to where I've had some of my most cherished memories and I know I'm not alone in that sentiment.