A glimpse at one man's early memories

Walter Brown reminisced in 1965 about being the oldest living member at that time.  Here is what he said:

I remember the old church with the wood burning stoves, kerosene lamps, outdoor plumbing and old horse sheds to stable the horses in while people attended church. One of my tasks during those days was cutting wood for the stoves and keeping the kerosene lamps filled.  I came to Brooklyn in 1892 at the age of 16.  I remember Mrs. Emma Hanscom was my first Sunday School teacher and at Christmas that first year she gave each of us 10 boys a small testament.  I still have mine. Upper Twin Lake was the scene of my baptism when I joined Brooklyn Church on August 26, 1894.  I felt that complete immersion was the only way to be baptized and the Rev. Joseph Davis performed the service.  I was 18 years old and there were three others christened with me.

The church was the center of social life back then.  Ice cream socials were big.  A large dish of ice cream and all of the home made cake one could eat cost only .10¢.  On stormy days in the winter time, someone would hitch up a team to the sled and every family along the road would pile in - children, parents, with good food to eat and surprise a neighbor.  The afternoon and evening would be spent in playing games --spin-the-pan, bean bag, blind man's bluff, and many others.

I could go on and on telling of things that happened then, they have been good years and I truly hope that the future will bring God's richest blessings to this community.

The First Newspaper

The first newspaper in Brooklyn Center was The Sun, a 9 x 6 inch four-page monthly paper introduced on October 21, 1898 by its owners:  editor Richard E. Knight and publisher F. D. Huff.  the paper was printed in Camden Place and sold for 3¢ until January 1899, when the price dropped to 1¢.  Twice in the first five months, the paper ran apologies for offending readers.  One issue stated, "Not any new was to be found in Brooklyn Centre."

National History 1890-1899