Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Plainville

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
B+History
History · Plainville

Plainville’s post office opened in 1830, and 4 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #117 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

Most of Plainville was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Charles H. Norton House, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 91 buildings between them. Below: 13 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1870.

1830first post office
4on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
13old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Plainville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Plainville began

When was Plainville founded?

1830

The Plainville post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Linville (1875), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 1,433 in 1870196 years

How historic is Plainville?

B+

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Plainville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Plainville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Plainville is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #117 of 155 in Connecticut. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Plainville’s overall grade.
Founding era1830, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19409.4% of homes (±2.6) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register4 listings, 93 historic buildings, 53.0 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 70%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 25%

Connecticut towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Connecticut town has 73.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Plainville’s 53.0 sits near the middle of its state (40% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 93 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Plainville’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe New Haven District Campground takes in 90 historic buildings.On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1984. Watch Plainville change.A National Historic Landmark4 places on the National Register, including Charles H. Norton House, a National Historic Landmark.A town in postcards13 old photos, postcards and papers, 1878–1975.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

4 listings protect 93 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmark
1
Charles H. Norton House
historic buildings protected
93
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Charles H. Norton House
New Haven District CampgroundFarmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton CanalCongregational Church of PlainvilleCharles H. Norton House, built 1922★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Georgian Revival1
Gothic Revival1
★ Landmark
Charles H. Norton HouseGeorgian Revival · Built 1922
New Haven District CampgroundDistrict
Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton CanalDistrict
Congregational Church of PlainvilleGothic Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

On the map

Plainville on the map, 1892 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Plainville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Plainville on the 1892 USGS mapPlainville on the 1946 USGS mapPlainville on the 1953 USGS mapPlainville on the 1966 USGS mapPlainville on the 1973 USGS mapPlainville on the 1984 USGS map1892Meriden sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Plainville.

The story

How Plainville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Plainville.

Read it all →

Plainville first was inhabited by Europeans around 1650. By the 1660s, the land was incorporated as land for nearby Farmington. In the year 1869, it separated from Farmington due to the distance of the town center and the growth of Plainville downtown due to the installation of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Plainville, 1830 to 1985

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1830Post officeThe Plainville post office opens
  3. 1875Post officeThe Linville post office opens
  4. 1878In the archivePlainville, Connecticut 1878
  5. 1885Post officeThe Linville post office closes
  6. 1888Born hereEdgar Church is born here
  7. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1907In the archivePlainville station and bridge postcard
  10. 1914In the archiveWest Main Street, Plainville - 1914 postcard
  11. 1922BuiltCharles H. Norton House is built
  12. 1933In the archiveDETAIL OF SOUTHEAST CORNER, CHIMNEY AND PORCH - 85 East Main Street (House)
  13. 1940Born hereBarbara de Lamere is born here
  14. 1958Born hereTed Christopher is born here
  15. 1975In the archiveCharles H. Norton House, Plainville (Hartford County, Connecticut)
  16. 1976LandmarkCharles H. Norton House named a National Historic Landmark
  17. 1985Born hereNick Pugliese is born here
By decade

Plainville, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s–1900s7 items
Plainville, Connecticut 18781878Plainville, Connecticut 1878Plainville station and bridge postcard1907–1915Plainville station and bridge postcardPostcardPlainville station postcard1907–1915Plainville station postcardPostcardStreetcars at White Oak Park - postcard1907–1915Streetcars at White Oak Park - postcardPostcardBird's eye view of Plainville, Connecticut 19071907Bird's eye view of Plainville, Connecticut 1907Plainville transfer station 1909 postcardc. 1909Plainville transfer station 1909 postcardPostcardPostcardPlainvilleCTPlainvilleSchool19091909PostcardPlainvilleCTPlainvilleSchool1909Postcard
1910s–1930s5 items
West Main Street, Plainville - 1914 postcardc. 1914West Main Street, Plainville - 1914 postcardPostcardPlainville station 1916 postcardc. 1916Plainville station 1916 postcardPostcardTroop train at Plainville station - 1917 postcard1917Troop train at Plainville station - 1917 postcardPostcardDETAIL OF SOUTHEAST CORNER, CHIMNEY AND PORCH - 85 East Main Street (House)1933DETAIL OF SOUTHEAST CORNER, CHIMNEY AND PORCH - 85 Ea…GENERAL VIEW OF SOUTH FRONT AND WEST SIDE (81-83 East Main Street (HABS No. CT-367) on left) - 85 East Main Street (Hou…1933GENERAL VIEW OF SOUTH FRONT AND WEST SIDE (81-83 East…
1940s–1960snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1970s1 item
Charles H. Norton House, Plainville (Hartford County, Connecticut)1975Charles H. Norton House, Plainville (Hartford County,…
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today11 recent
Applebee's Restaurant2014Applebee's RestaurantApplebee's2014Applebee'sApplebee's2014Applebee'sPlainville Reservoir (AKA Crescent Lake) From Bradley Mountain Southington CT2013Plainville Reservoir (AKA Crescent Lake) From Bradley…GE Solar Carport unveiling in2011GE Solar Carport unveiling inGE Solar Carport unveiling in2011GE Solar Carport unveiling inPlainville CT lg2010Plainville CT lgBirds eye view of Plainville, Conn2008Birds eye view of Plainville, ConnPlainville2007PlainvilleDungeon Zenobia the Gypsy Witch2006Dungeon Zenobia the Gypsy WitchCongregationalChurchPlainvilleCT2006CongregationalChurchPlainvilleCT
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Plainville, Connecticut 1878
Retake this viewPlainville, Connecticut 1878, 1878

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Plainville’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Plainville, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00018,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 17,716

Between 1,433 and 17,716 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Plainville’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Plainville

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Ted ChristopherAmerican racing driver · b. 1958
Nick PuglieseAmerican baseball player · b. 1985
B
Barbara de LamereActivist, Queens' Liberation Front co-founder · b. 1940
E
Edgar ChurchComic collector · b. 1888
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Plainville’s post office has been open since 1830. Another post office, Linville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Plainville
1830–today
Linville
1875–1885
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Liberty Mobile Home Park
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Plainville
EastSaint JosephsWest

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Plainville’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPlainville, Connecticut 1878: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Bristol17 historic placesA−Farmington10 historic placesA−New Britain21 historic placesASouthington39 historic placesA−

Questions about Plainville’s history

What year was Plainville founded?

The Plainville post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Plainville rank for history?

Plainville is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #117 of 155 in Connecticut. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Plainville?

4 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Charles H. Norton House (a National Historic Landmark since 1976), and 2 historic districts, the New Haven District Campground and the Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal, with 91 contributing buildings. 93 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Plainville?

9% of Plainville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1971.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (24), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.