Off the Prospect Road about 14 km from Halifax is the community of Brookside near the Terence Bay Wilderness Area and McGrath's Lake. Homes have been constructed around the lake over the years, forming this small insular community which blends in with Hatchet Lake.

In 1787, the Drysdale, Parker, and Nicols families together received a 1,550 acre land grant. After being discharged from the army, William Drysdale arrived in 1817 to live on his grant of 200 acres. Other families moving into the area included W. D. Yeadon in the late 1880s. The Brookside Road leads to the original settlement.

Farming families from Brookside were well known for their generosity to travelers, as Brookside was a traditional stopping place for residents of outlying communities enroute to Halifax.