Archaeological and surface surveys have established that the archaeological record of Brooklyn lies intact beneath the extensive open spaces of current-day residential parcels. The Illinois State Archaeology Survey (ISAS, formerly known as ITARP) conducted a recording survey of the Brooklyn cemetery, which was designated as site number 11S1233. Excavations at an adjacent site containing the remains of a late prehistoric period deposit (the Janey B. Goode site, 11S1232) have shown that archaeology sites remain intact in this general area, buried beneath layers of 20th century fill (Galloy 2003; Koldehoff and Fulton 2005). No archaeological investigations of the community of Brooklyn were conducted before the initiation of this multi-year project (Koldehoff and Fulton 2005).

Researchers working with ISAS, the University of Illinois (UI), and the Historical Society of Brooklyn (HSB) have gathered deeds, census data, tax records, oral histories, and other primary and secondary sources. The earliest deed references were geo-referenced on the current landscape of the town, and correlated with census data over the decades of the antebellum and postbellum periods to indicate the most likely locations of the earliest and later households in Brooklyn and changes in residential and business locations over time. A collaborative, long-term project has been lauched by HSB, UI, ISAS, and Illinois State Museum to research the archaeological and historical data of this nationally significant community. Dr. Joseph Galloy and a crew of archaeologists with ISAS excavated test units and shovel test pit surveys in several resdiential lots of the existing town in the summer of 2008. These surveys and test units demonstrated that the archaeological record of Brooklyn's residents from the earliest years of the community onward exists intact beneath the extensive open spaces of current residential properties. Future field work should include additional surface surveys, geophysical surveys, and excavations to uncover and fully research the past households and business locations of this remarkable community.