Settled in the 1600s and incorporated as its own town in 1786, Brooklyn is now one of the fastest growing towns in Windham County. It is home to the Brooklyn Fair, America's oldest continuously operating agricultural fair, as well as the Brooklyn Correctional Institution, a state-run medium security prison.

Brooklyn is the final resting place of Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam. Though he was originally buried in an above ground tomb in Brooklyn's South Cemetery, his remains had to be moved due to excessive visitors. In 1888, a statue of Putnam mounted on a horse was erected, and his sarcophagus placed in the foundation. The statue stands in the town green, in front of the town's post office.