In our attempt to offer the many resources available on the history of Plainfield we are including the following links. While we have worked hard to offer the most historically accurate resources available to us, some of the resources are written by individuals or organizations  that represents their own  historical perspective or memories and should be taken as so.

Online Resources

  • Plainfield  by Priscilla C. Allen and Arvilla L. Dyer Edited by Nancy E. Allen
  • Historical Sketch of Plainfield  – Historical Collections Relating to the History and Antiquities of Every town in Massachusetts with Geographical Descriptions.By John Warner Barber. Worcester Published by Warren Lazell. 1848
  • How Old is My House?  by Priscilla Allen – a primer on how to begin the process of dating your old house – the first page of this pdf is blank so keep scrolling.
  • The Romances of a Country Doctor A Paper Read by The Country Doctor’s Grand-Daughter Miss Clara Hudson at the Annual Meeting of the Northampton Historical Society at The Unitarian Church, Northampton, MA, Tuesday Afternoon, October 7, 1947
  • The Cummington Story – A YouTube video on the integration of a group of World War II refugees into the life of the small town of Cummington, Mass.
  • Hand-hewed History – Hampshire Gazette article on Plainfield’s Rich Potter’s local barn tour. Monday, October 14, 2013
  • The Mohawk Trail: The Long and Winding Road– Thanks to another grant from Teaching American History, third and fourth grade students from Gabriel Abbott Memorial School in Florida, MA worked with local historians and a collection of vintage travel postcards,  to create a  web site on the Mohawk Trail.

Press 

 

Print Resources

  • Freeman, Stan & Nasuti, Mike. The Natural History and Resources of Western Massachusetts. Florence , Massachusetts: Hampshire House Publishing Company, 1994
  • Cleeves, Rachael Hope. Sylvia and Charity: A Same Sex Marriage in Early America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
  • The Western Hampshire Highlands, Massachusetts. Stutson, William P.,Packard,  Harold S., Anserson, Millege T., McClelland, John J., and Willard, John D. (Editorial Committee.) Published by Western Hampshire Board of Trade. Springfield, MA, 1912  Sketches of the towns of Chesterfield, Cummington, Plainfield and Worthington in the Highlands of Massachusetts.  Illustrated with numerous photographs showing the towns’ churches, inns, town halls, etc. Includes 20 pages of interesting local advertisements.
  • Wikander, Lawrence E., and others. The Hampshire History: Celebrating 300 Years of  Hampshire County, Massachusetts. Northampton, Mass; Hampshire County Commissioners, 1964.