Planefield? Story Behind Village's Name a Mystery

The Inquiry

Why was the name of “” chosen for our town? Does “Plainfield” commemorate another place of the same name? 

The Facts

No one is exactly certain why our town was christened “Planefield,” as it was first recorded in 1834. 

A few theories have been proposed, but none proven with any degree of certainty.

One theory suggests the original spelling may have been a reference to the seemingly level — or “plane” — prairies that stretched outward from the vast woodlands that surrounded the DuPage River at the dawn of the 19th century.

Others would suggest that the name “Plainfield” — as our village was re-named in 1835 — was derived from a town in the East, perhaps a place familiar to our town founder, Chester Ingersoll. 

Born in 1789 at Hardwick, Mass., Ingersoll spent his early life on the East Coast — Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and upstate New York. During those years, Ingersoll may have become familiar with any number of Plainfield communities in the east.

Ingersoll’s parents were born in Connecticut, and the family lived there for a short period between 1795 and 1799. However, nothing in Ingersoll’s history suggests a strong association to Plainfield, Conn. (founded as Quinebarg in 1699).

However, when residents of the Connecticut town moved north in 1761, they established the Town (township) of Plainfield, N.H., in honor of their hometown. By 1775, the population had grown dramatically. In 1780, two parishes were established: Plainfield and Meriden. 

Between 1799 and 1804, the Ingersoll family moved from Middletown to Jericho, Vt. Their travels likely took them through Plainfield, N.H., which by then had become a thriving village with industries, churches and taverns.

Perhaps the growing, New Hampshire town impressed Ingersoll, then 10 to 15 years old. The young Ingersoll even may have completed his schooling or taken on his first job at Plainfield, N.H.

Seventy miles away and 36 years later, Plainfield, Vt., was established in November 1797 by former residents of Plainfield, N.H. By 1810, the town of Plainfield, Vt., was reported to be a community of 60 families with good farmland and ample sugar maple trees as well as a tavern, tannery, grist mill, sawmills, potteries, potash works and blacksmith shops.

Between 1812 and 1814, the Ingersoll family relocated from Jericho to Westford, Vt., likely passing through Barre and Montpelier. Plainfield, Vt., — then a fledgling settlement — lay just east of those two Vermont towns. Ingersoll, then in his early 20s, may have sought work in the rapidly developing new town of Plainfield, Vt. 

Perhaps, one or both of these New England settlements left a lasting impression on Chester Ingersoll. 

Unfortunately, we may never know what inspired our community’s name.

In 1828, Ingersoll began to travel frequently between Vermont and northeastern Illinois.  

In August 1834, Chester Ingersoll platted the Town of Planefield, Illinois — directly north of the informal settlement known as Walkers’ Grove, established five years earlier. The new town consisted of just 13 blocks. But, Ingersoll, discouraged that others did not share his vision, abandoned Plainfield by 1838 and, briefly, settled at Wheatland Township.  

Nearly two decades later, in 1856, several Wheatland township farmers “pulled up stakes” and headed for Iowa. There, the transplanted pioneer families established a new town at Bremer County. Recalling our community with fondness, those Iowa pioneers christened their new home “Plainfield.”

Do you have a question about Plainfield history you'd like to see Michael Lambert answer in a future column? Something you've always wondered about, such as a building or a name? Send them to karen@patch.com.