It housed various mills supported by the four major railways that intersected the town. Providence, 1892. From the southernmost point, Plainfield is 20 miles (32 km) inland of the Long Island Sound and Block Island Sound (Atlantic Ocean). Hartford: Connecticut Historical Commission, 1987. The median income for a household in the town was $42,851, and the median income for a family was $47,447. For the remainder of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Central Village's fortunes followed the ups and downs of the textile industry, but in general prosperity prevailed. A Congregational Church was established in 1845 through the generosity of Arnold Fenner and other leading citizens, and in 1871, when the Town of Plainfield decided to build a town hall rather than continue meeting in the Plainfield Congregational meetinghouse, Central Village was chosen, both because of its location and because of the influence of prominent Central Village residents such as Fenner and lawyer J.J. Penrose. Great for discovering comps, sales history, photos, and more. Get directions, maps, and traffic for Plainfield, CT. Most of the Central Village Historic District is residential, but the village includes other kinds of buildings as well. At the western end of the village, the Kennedy mills were also turned to textile manufacturing starting about 1835, with cotton, flannel, wicking, and twine all produced at one time or another. Commemorative Biographical Record of Tolland and Windham Counties. Similar details originally adorned all the small houses built by Walter Palmer in his c.1900 development. A Short History of the Town of Plainfield 1 The town of Plainfield was founded in 1761 by a group of 56 proprietors, most from Plainfield, CT, who sought to invest in the New Hampshire Grants when settlement became safe at the end of the French and Indian War. The core of the village, where School Street, Water Street, Main Street, and Putnam Road converge, is a small 19th-century commercial area with four store buildings and the Central Hotel, a tavern and hotel built c.1845 alongside the railroad tracks. and locations is advised before visiting the office. Map of Windham County, Connecticut, 1855. In the year it was accepted by the legislature as a township and in The racial makeup of the town was 96.15% White, 0.78% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. During the 18th century agriculture was its primary industry which 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. As its name suggests, Central Village is the most centrally located of the several villages within the Town of Plainfield, and as a result of its location (and the influence of its manufacturers and other prominent residents), it was chosen as the site of these community facilities. The railroad, which passed midway between the two tiny clusters at the manufacturing sites, established a center for the village and gave it a commercial function to supplement its industrial base. Additional records are listed on the county and state pages. Economic development continued as well. Together with the church, old town hall, and high school, these buildings testify to the long-standing existence of Central Village as an important center for the surrounding locale. Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. The buildings in Central Village embody the distinctive characteristics of several types and periods of architecture. Central Village is a distinct settlement located within the Town of Plainfield, Connecticut, along the banks of the Moosup River. Two state roads, Route 12 and Route 14, converge at this location, and the Providence and Worcester Railroad bisects the village in a north-south direction. During the 18th century agriculture was its primary industry which gave way to manufacturing during the 19th and early 20th century, with the resources of the Mossup and Quinebaug Rivers and 2 railways running from major cities. The following are church records available online for the town of Plainfield: In Connecticut, most land records are kept at the town level. Founded in the late 18th century, the Plainfield Academy went... …[more]. GenWeb Archives | US GenWeb. 43 square miles with a 2000 population of 14,619 residents spread out between the villages of Plainfield, Central Village, Mossup and Wauregan. 1368 Norwich Rd., Plainfield The Quintal Agency 127 Norwich Rd., Plainfield Advanced Auto 777 Norwich Road, Plainfield Long Pond Hearth & Home 19 South Walnut St., Wauregan . "Historic Resource Survey of Plainfield. There are two distinct subclasses of vernacular dwellings: a row of multi-family houses formerly associated with a textile mill on Moosup Road, and a cluster of simple 1-1/2-story houses erected as a rental housing venture by a turn-of-the-century entrepreneur.