The first settlers, in what is now Brooks County, were Spanish missionaries from Florida who arrived around 1570. Brooks County was formed from parts of Lowndes and Thomas counties and was named for Preston Brooks, a member of Congress prior to the Civil War and an avid defender of state rights.

During the Civil War, the county was the main producer of food for the confederacy and became known as the "Breadbasket of the South."

The county's courthouse was constructed in 1864. Brooks County officials paid for the structure with $14,958 in Confederate money, a fortunate circumstance for the county, since this currency was soon to become useless.

The county is home to several endangered plant and animal species including the Pond Spicebush, the Wood Stork, and the Eastern Indigo snake.

The Quitman Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, contains late 19th and early 20th century brick buildings in the commercial district and mainly wood frame homes from various periods and styles in the residential area. The streets are laid out in a grid with several central parks.