* Central Vermont's small town of Plainfield isn't a ski mecca, industrial
hotbed or the next target for urban sprawl but it carries a distinction
all its own. With a small liberal arts college located right in its center,
this country village boasts the unique personality of both a quaint bedroom
community and a youthful college town, cradled deep in the pastoral beauty
that the Green Mountain state is renowned for.
Located less than 10 miles northwest of Montpelier along scenic Route 2, Plainfield was first chartered as St. Andrew's Gore in 1787. It wasn't until 1798 that this small town officially claimed its name, establishing itself as a subsistence farming community with its residents taming the surrounding hills into feeding their families. Sawmills were later established along the banks of the Winooski River, which snakes its way through the center of the village, followed by service industries such as tanneries and grist mills that benefitted in 1867 when Plainfield became a stop for the Montpelier and Wells River Railroad.
This small community flourished in the 1800's and early 1900's, most
noted by the outcrop of brick houses built primarily between 1825 and 1850
from locally manufactured brick. But as Montpelier, the state's capital,
and Barre continued to grow, businesses moved to these cities, forcing the
residents to turn there, too, for their goods and services.
But according to today's Plainfield residents, that exodus was a positive move and one of the chief reasons this small community has been able to maintain its greatest asset - rustic charm. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, an easy 20-minute drive along routes 2 or 14 gets residents to all the conveniences of city living yet those same avenues return them to the coveted peaceful solitude of quintessential Vermont.
"Plainfield is just enough out that you have a little bit of nature,
plenty of privacy but all the things you'd go to a city for right near by,"
said Linda Wells, a 10-year resident of Plainfield and the community's new
Town Clerk.
Plainfield, with just over 1,300 residents, consists of an upper and lower village but is governed by the same township - actually, it's half a township due to the small population. It shares Twinfield Union School with its twin town, Marshfield, but offers its own library, Cutler Memorial, and its own health center, a rapidly expanding medical establishment that serves Plainfield and Marshfield residents as well as outlying towns such as Cabot, Groton and East Montpelier.
Reflecting the Vermont of days past, Plainfield features a centrally situated general store, known by many locals as simply "the red store," a hardware store and a characteristically unique new and used furniture store housed in the remnants of the prominently located Plainfield Inn (1932). There is also a bookshop and two eateries, the Maple Valley Deli and River Run Restaurant, the latter having been recognized by the New York Times for their culinary creativity and excellence.
At the east entryway of Plainfield is Goddard College, a small liberal
arts college that recently became associated with Northfield-based Norwich
University and celebrated its 60th anniversary of offering quality education
to its students. Along with drawing temporary residents to the town, Goddard
also serves the community by offering its facilities for community events
and to civic organizations.
For example, the Twin Valley Senior Center is cur-rently in the process of establishing a permanent location at the college. The school's Haybarn Theater features local, regional and national performance groups whose productions attract audience members of all ages from throughout central Vermont. Public lectures, workshops and readings are also held on campus as well as play groups and daycare programs for children.
"Goddard is really making an effort right now to try to become more involved with the community and it's working out for the best for everybody",Wells said. And even though the students at Goddard are considered temporary residents, a lot of them return to Plainfield later because they remember it as being so beautiful. They loved it so much they come back here to live."
Even with the multitude of history to revel in, Plainfielders aren't stagnant when it comes to protecting and improving the town's infrastructure. In 1997 the town completed extensive renovations to Plainfield Town Hall, updating the building once used as an opera house allowing its use for largely attended town meetings and community center purposes.
This year will see the completion of the town's new sewage treatment facility, which not only offers environmentally sound sewage treatment for at least the next 20 years but can also accommodate more use, allowing more houses to be built in the town. For future projects, Plainfield is currently discussing repairing and adding to the towns' sidewalks.
Despite the recent improvements, Plainfielders still claim their strong sense of community and their abundant beautiful views as the town's best qualities. With an average home sale price of about $78,000, Plainfield is an attraction for young families just starting out or anyone looking to own their own homes and property. The slower pace of country living is also a draw for families looking to raise children.
"Plainfield offers a safe environment for kids, where they can play outside in a secure place," said Lois Smith who served as Plainfield's Town Clerk for 23 years and raised four children in the community. "The community is very active in the school, whether it be through sports or the many other talents that the townspeople have, and the kids have room to spread out."
The cohesiveness of locals spreads to the surrounding towns as well as throughout their own community, displayed most recently at a barn raising for a farm family in nearby Marshfield. After the Codling family's barn was destroyed by fire, dozens of community members from the area donated their time and talents over a weekend to help the rebuilding process get underway.
"I love the small town feel of Plainfield," Wells stated. "It really makes you feel comfortable and welcome. When you go in to the Postmaster's Office, it's like you're going home. You don't get that when you live in a bigger city."
To quickly grasp the true nature of Plainfield and why people live there, locals say, take a drive along Route 2 and the community's back roads. Climb Plainfield's Spruce Mountain and gaze out from atop 3,037 feet of unspoiled Vermont Beauty.
"People come here and stay here because the many surrounding hills offer beautiful views year-round," Smith noted. "They're all spectacular, a beautiful view for every season. You won't find that in the cities."
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