Founding year: the first Plainfield post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1867.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Plainfield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Plainfield is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Plainfield’s overall grade.
Vermont towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Vermont town has 147 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Plainfield’s 700 sits above most of its state (92% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 92 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 A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±14.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1867.
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 Plainfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
When the government of independent Vermont was being organized, the surveyor for northern Vermont, James Whitelaw, noticed that a parcel of land, smaller than the standard town size of six miles (10 km) square and lying between Montpelier and Marshfield, had not been granted to any settlers. One corner of this "gore" was marked as "St. Andrew's Corner". Whitelaw and his assistants were later paid for their work with land grants, one of which was the St. Andrews's gore.
Passages that mention Plainfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of the towns of Plainfield, Roxbury and Fayston ... with Marshfield or Middlesex papers in fifty copies ..1882 · page 725Read the page →
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Dr. Ebenezer Conant studied with Dr. Robert Paddock, of Barre, and came to Plainfield in 1809. In 1832 he removed into Marshfield, about 2 miles from Plainfield village, near Perkins' mill, but returned to Plainfield after a few years, where he died.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of the towns of Plainfield, Roxbury and Fayston ... with Marshfield or Middlesex papers in fifty copies ..1882 · page 728Read the page →
Read the text
in several instances at least, of appointees to Barre circuit, there being each year two or three such appointees, and one of them usually resident at Plainfield. On and after the conference of 1838, this station lost its identity with Barre circuit, and the preachers were appointed directly to Plainfield. The complete list of Meth-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of the towns of Plainfield, Roxbury and Fayston, Vermont1882 · page 729Read the page →
Read the text
Plainfield village is at theextreme northern part of the town, and as incorporated in 1867, includes a portion of the town of Marshfield. In 1812, it contained about a dozen families, in 1 88 r about 80.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of the towns of Plainfield, Roxbury and Fayston, Vermont1882 · page 725Read the page →
Read the text
Dr. Ebenezer Conant studied with Dr. Robert Paddock, of Barre, and came to Plainfield in 1S09. In 1S32 he removed into Marshfield, about 2 miles from Plainfield village, near Perkins' mill, but returned to Plainfield after a few years, where he died.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The Plainfield post office opened in 1811, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1867.
How does Plainfield rank for history?
Plainfield is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns. 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 Plainfield?
4 listings: 2 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Plainfield Village Historic District and the Goddard College Greatwood Campus, with 85 contributing buildings. 92 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Plainfield?
45% of Plainfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±14.9 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1955.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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