Editing Plainfield, Massachusetts (section)

== History ==
[[Image:Plainfield Congregational Church, MA.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Plainfield Congregational Church]]

Plainfield was first settled in 1770, primarily by settlers from the town of [[Bridgewater, Massachusetts|Bridgewater]], and was officially incorporated as a district within the Town of [[Cummington, Massachusetts|Cummington]] in 1785, and as a town on June 15, 1807.  Plainfield is the youngest town in Hampshire County.

In the 1800s, Plainfield was a thriving agricultural community, primarily producing sheep and [[leather]] for [[leather tanning|tanning]]. With the widespread adoption of the [[steamship]], and the resultant [[globalization]] in the 1870s, the expense of importing both [[Lamb (food)|mutton]] and [[leather]] from Australia and New Zealand was greatly reduced. Consequently, the agricultural industries in Plainfield became less profitable, and the population declined substantially over the following decades.

Sixty-one men from Plainfield joined the [[Union Army]] late in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Six were killed in battle, or died as a consequence of their service, including resident Michael Bashaw, who died of dysentery at the battle of [[Wilsons Creek (Missouri)|Wilson's Creek]]. Of those who survived, many settled elsewhere after the war.

After over a century of population decline, modern Plainfield has experienced population growth since 1950.