From the 1936 WPA Writers Project
Brooks is located on the main line of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad eight miles northeast of Nodaway on County Road X. Its population is 175. Since its founding, Brooks has remained a trading post for the surrounding farming community. There are a bank, garage, general store, oil station, grocery store pool hall in the village, the post office being located in the latter building. The old City Hotel building, now used as a residence, is the only landmark remaining in the community.
Brooks has an elementary school, housed in a small frame building and one community church presided over by a circuit minister.
1984 Adams County History Book
In 1853 and 1854 early settlers from the east settled in Adams County where Brooks is now located. Feeling they had found their "promised land", they named the settlement "Canaan City". Later in 1854, the town was conveyed by the government to Wm. Shield and became known as Brookville. In 1855 Mr. Shield conveyed the portion of the town to Silas Riggs, which is still known as the Riggs addition. There was inconvenience in the name of Brookville, due to another town in Jefferson County with the same name. Since the Methodist Church had started a seminary in the north end of town which was named Simpson in honor of the Bishop Simpson, the post office went by the name of Simpson in 1860. Mail was being sent to Simpson but the railroad was shipping to Brookville. Since the seminary had moved to Indianola, the post office and depot both took the name of Brooks in 1871 and kept it to this time.