www.plainfieldct.org

In 1653, John Wintrop Jr., later Governor of the Connecticut Colony, acquired the land from Hyems, a sachem of the Quinebaugs. Three decades later, Owaneco, son of the Mohegan Uncas, gave the same land to James Fitch, Jr. Despite a bitter struggle between these two powerful families over the land, settlers successfully petitioned to become a town in 1699. The land was named Plainfield and included the land on both sides of the Quinebaug River.

As the 19th century began, half a dozen woolen and cotton spinning mills along the Moosup River were established at sites once occupied only by grist and saw mills. One railroad opened in 1840 and another 14 years later, making Plainfield an important transportation center.

The textile mils brought revolutionary changes in the lives of residents, transforming patterns of work and redefining the nature of the community. In 1800, most adult males in town were farmers. By mid-century, French Canadians and other ethnic groups came to join the work force in the mills. By the century’s end, the town had four village centers, Plainfield, Central Village, Moosup and Wauregan, each with its own identity.