Norwich bulletin., 1916-07-08
PLAiNFlELD's PART IN
 AMERICAN PROGRESS
Prize Winning Essays by Pupils In
 Grammar Schools of That Town.

essays on '4PlainfeldAs Part in Amer ican Progress" for children in the grammar school in that town were won by Roy Flyers and Waldo T1lling- hast respectively.
 The. essays foEowg
 First Prize Essay Written by Roy
 Flyers.
 The beautffuI, fertile plains stretch ing noFtoeaSt and southwest along the valley Of the Quinfbaug between the rugged hills, early attracted the at tentdOn of settlers. and land specula-- tors.
 These fertile plains later gave name to the locality, and to the town. The two most important Indian tribes which occupied this land were the NarTagansetts and the Pequots- In 1853 John Winthrop bought some land from the Indians. He bought this land for @ coat, @ roll of touckl1ng clothg two rolls of red cotton, wampums pipes and tobacco. Governor Win throp took great pains to secure this land legally. The General Court o1 Connecticut in October 1761, allowed Governor Winthrop his Indian pur- chase at Quine'Daug and gave him Hb- erty to erect thereon a plantation, but none appears ever to have been att tempted. In the year 1879 some of the MOhegan Indians who were drunk set fire to New London jail The County Court ordered that the Indians should pay for the damage by sur rendering six hundred acres Of land and ordered the County Treasurer, James Fitch, Jr., to dispose of the land.
 A tract of six hundred acres was selected, lying on both sides of the Quinebaug, extending from Wanan- gatuck on the north to a brook on the south. This was included in Win throp's purchase in 1853. The claims of Winthrop and Fitch, thus conflict ing, for many years the resulting dis putes kept this section from perman- ent settlement The first people who permanently settled here came from Massachusetts in 1889, and May 5l, 1899, the first town meeting was held to establish town government. The settlers on the east side of the river at the time of this meeting in 1899, were Isaac Shepard, John Spalding, Edward Spalding, James Kingsbury, Thomas Pierce, Matthias Button, JO- seph SpaIding, Jacob Warren, Nathan ieI Jewel and Timothy Pierce. At this town meeting James Deane was chosen Town Clerk. In the war of lT04 PIainfeld people bravely did their part and pains were taken t6 keep in favor with the friendly Quinebaugs.
 A train band was formed, with Thomas Williams for ensign and sam Ucl Howe for sergeant: scouts and guard house were maintained, equip ped and supplied with ammunition. Guards were stationed at the meeting houses on Sundays and Watch-IyZ5j4ses were maintained in some parts of the town. In 1768 a weekly stage coach was run from Providence to Norwich through this town. A tavern for the accommodation of travellers was built and maintained in Plainfield Village by Captain Eaton. Interesting his torical facts are connected with it. Washington and Lafayette have been its guests.
 PlairfeId also played her part will Ingly and well during the Revolution. In TIT she encouraged enlistments by voting that families of those who should enlist for three years or dur ing the war, should be supplied with the common necessaries of life at the price stated by the General Assembly She also offered a bounty of thirty dollars above that offered by the state During the war of 112, and later, in the Mexican War, Plainheld was well represented. One of PIainheld's vet erans in the Civil War tells us of the excitement when Fort Sumter was fired upon, and of the group of men, who, on the platform of the tin-shOp at Central Village listened to the earn est words of John J. Penrose. Later speakers from Out-Of-tOWn, Augustus BrandeSee and Judge Tyler from Brooklyn, addressed the people in the church. Many men enlisted and Plain- field was represented by more than three hundred men in the struggle. Plainfield is now a large manufactuT- ing town.
 The largest nils manufacture wooIen and cotton goods. It has good educa- uonal advantages and it's young peO- pie, without doubt, will grow into as patriotic citizens as were the first settlers of the town.
 Second Prize Essay Written by Waldo
 TiIinghast.
 In 1859 Governor Winthrop obtained liberty from the General Assembly of Connecticut to purchase a large tract of land at Quinebaug. There were few settlers here at this time In 1889 a number of people came from AIassa- Chusetts and made a purchase from the heirs of Governor Winthrop and began to settle in the northern part of this tract. On May 31, 1899, the first town meeting was held, and as a re- suit the General Assembly vested the inhabitants with town privileges. The next year it was named "PlaindeId."
 Plainfield is bounded on the north by Killingly, east by Sterling, west by Canterbury and south by Griswo1d and FoluntOwn. When this town was first settled by the whites, these plains were free from timber and admitted early and easy cultivation. From the quantities of corn raised here it was called Egypt" of the surrounding set dement's. The Indians were quite numerous at the time the town was settled, numbering from four to five hundred. These Indians were friend ly with the white people. Frontier towns, including PlainfeId, were com pelled to support guard houses and scouts, and provide equipments and ammunition. Guards were stationed around meeting houses on Sundays. In June, 1T56, war against France was declared by Great Britain. Through these years Plainfield with other towns, helped to provide food and clothing for the soldiers. Ezekiel Pierce, Benjamin Lee and Isaac Colt were captains among the Plainfield soldiers. Captain Israel Putnam's Second Company was largely made up of Plainfield men. Tn 1756 some of the French who were driven from No va Scotia by the English were sent to Plainfie1d. Platnfleld's records show the town, officially, cared for them.
 In the summer of 176S a weekly stage-coach was run from Providence to Norwich through this town and a. very large tavern was built by Captain Eaton for travellers over this road. At different times 1t had Washington and Lafayette as its guests. In 1771 the