PLAINFIELD NH CELEBRATES 250TH ANNIVERSARY
And we were there!

On Aug. 14, 1761, the Royal Governor of the Province of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth, granted a parcel of land containing 22,300 acres to a group of 56 investors from Plainfield, CT.

John Stevens Sr., the agent for the investors, traveled from Plainfield CT to Portsmouth NH with the purpose of securing a grant of land on the western boundary of the province.

The first meeting of the town was held in CT on September 18, 1761 to elect officers and to create a plan for dividing the land. Settlement was not immediate because of the distance from Connecticut.

The first permanent settlers of Plainfield NH were Captain Josiah Russell and Littlefield Nash who spent the winter of 1764-1765. Nash traveled from Plainfield CT via canoe! He later went to Charlestown NH for winter supplies, marking the journey by marking trees along the way.

King George III signed the charter on August 14, 1761. On August 14, 2011, we were honored and privileged to represent the town of Plainfield and the Plainfield Historical Society by attending the re-enactment of the signing of the town charter of Plainfield NH. Among the distinguished guests was Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, a resident of the town.

A framed proclamation was read and presented as well as a scrolled proclamation for their time-capsule. In addition, items such as a copy of the town seal, a copy of “Plainfield Transformed…” and memorabilia from the Plainfield CT Tercentenary were presented.

On Saturday, we arrived at the Home Hill Inn, built in 1818 on land granted to Thomas Gallup by King George in 1763. Much to our surprise the Inn is on a dirt road, one of many in town. The residents are satisfied with dirt roads because they are easier and cheaper to maintain.

At a chicken and lobster barbeque on Saturday afternoon we were introduced to Margaret Wrye, Co--Chair of the 250th Anniversary Committee and Jane Stephenson of the Plainfield NH Historical Society. Jane came to Plainfield about 11 years ago and toured the town. She graciously escorted us on a tour of the town and provided us with very interesting information about Plainfield NH.

As of the 2010 census, Plainfield NH had a population of 2,364. The town is home to the Helen Woodruff Smith Bird Sanctuary and the Annie Duncan State Forest. Plainfield is located along New Hampshire Route 12A. It includes the village of Meriden, home to Kimball Union Academy, a private preparatory school built in 1813 by Daniel Kimball. The town has a Board of three Selectmen and a Business Manager.

Plainfield prospered greatly in the 1800s with a great sheep boom. The 1826 tax rolls show 10,876 sheep in the town. In 1837 the financial panic followed by depression was the beginning of the end of the great sheep boom.

By 1896, Plainfield lost a third of its population and property value. The population began to increase once again in the 1970s. Many of the residents that we spoke with are employed at nearby Dartmouth Medical Center and Dartmouth College.

Plainfield has retained its country charm and many of its historical homes are meticulously maintained. Jane Stephenson, our tour guide, lives on Black Hill Road off Route 12. How familiar!

Madeleine and George Krecidlo

(From the Fall 2011 newsletter of the Plainfield Historical Society, P.O. Box 104, Central Village CT 06332-0245)