Plainfield History

In 1820 pioneers from Guilford County, North Carolina, settled in the White Lick Creek area. They named their new township Guilford, after their former place of residence. The 1827 survey for the National Road just north of the settlement encouraged other North Carolina Quakers who wanted to avoid the slavery problems in the South.

Levi Jessup and Elias Hadley, two such Friends, platted the town of Plainfield with 64 lots straddling the National Road. The date was probably July 1832. The first lot recorded as being sold was dated 2 May 1833.

Plainfield's Post Office was established September 5, 1835, with David G. Worth as postmaster. It was a log building on Main Street.

Four years later, in 1839, Plainfield was incorporated as a town. The incorporation charter was given up more than a decade later after unsuccessful attempts at town government and the town returned to township government during the 1850's. On May 16, 1904, Plainfield again voted in favor of incorporation. The vote total was 319: 190 for, 129 against. The town officials were elected on June 20, 1904 and the results were: Charles Harvey (Clerk), P.W. Raidabaugh (Treasurer), N.M. Frazier (Trustee 1st Ward), I.A. Johnson (Trustee 2nd Ward), John L. Gunn (Trustee 3rd Ward), and Jacob M. Wickliff (Marshal).

Mud and dirt on the National Road gave way to planks around 1850, but these proved unsatisfactory and gravel beds sustained the local and westward travelers for many years. It was 1923 when the National Road was paved through Plainfield.

Plainfield's Main Street is U.S. 40, also known as the Old National Trails Road. In 1842, ex-President Martin Van Buren came through Plainfield in a stage coach. While President he had vetoed a bill for highway improvements, so sentiment was against him on the part of locals who had to struggle with muddy road conditions. Not by accident, his stagecoach took a tumble in front of the Western Yearly Meeting and Plainfield Friends Meeting grounds. There, under a majestic elm tree, Van Buren was "dumped" from the coach. Soon the tree became known as the Van Buren Elm. Subsequently, the Plainfield High School yearbook was called the Van Buren Elm for many years; Van Buren Elementary School also honors its namesake. The tree's condition eventually deteriorated, but its location is marked by a large stone bearing a plaque of commemoration. A new elm tree has been planted nearby.

Education has always been important to Plainfield residents. Classes were first held in private homes, but the Quakers soon established schools. By 1861 the Monthly Meeting school had an enrollment of 227 children. The first public grade school was built in 1867-68 for 300 students. The Quakers started Central Academy, a four-year secondary school, in 1881. Plainfield High School started during the next decade and the first class graduated in 1900.

Educated people require libraries, and the first public library in Plainfield opened on June 4, 1901. The library was housed in rented rooms on Main Street. A new frame building on North Vine Street was opened in 1905. The Carnegie building on South Center Street, the answer to increased library use, was ready in 1912. Bookmobile service (the first in Indiana and the second in the nation) was put in operation in 1916. Today's Plainfield Public Library on Stafford Road was built in 1968. The library more than doubled in size with an addition in 1987. The library continued to grow and another addition was added in 1999. The current library offers many services and programs to patrons of all ages.

Although many Plainfield residents work in Indianapolis and Marion County, Cinergy/PSI, Galyans, Brylane, Brightpoint and the State of Indiana remain the major local employers. In addition, there are several small industries and thriving shopping centers.

The construction of new housing and commercial buildings shows that Plainfield continues to grow.

Those early settlers would be amazed if they could see their 64-lot town now!

Copyright 1988, 1998, 2003 Plainfield Public Library

Significant Dates in Plainfield's Early History*

*Prepared for the Society's Celebration of Plainfield's sesquicentennial, 1839 - 1989, by the Sesquicentennial Committee: Harriet Ruth Craven, Henderson S. Davis and Ida Mae Good Miller from materials in the Guilford Township Historical Collection, Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library, Plainfield, Indiana