PLAINFIELD — What do a former crowned prince of Hawaii, an undercover CIA operative turned novelist, and the author who coined the term “The Gilded Age” have in common? Surprisingly, all roads lead to Plainfield, the hilltown of 800 residents settled in 1770.
After a three-year process that involved digging into historical data on the town’s oldest homes, resident Lori Austin, a member of the Plainfield Historical Society, has unearthed a trove of town history.
“It was interesting because each house has its own individual story — sometimes it’s the people in the house, sometimes it’s an artifact, sometimes it’s the architecture,” said Austin, parsing facts on 14 of the town’s oldest homes that are still being lived in.
Her findings are now on display in a new exhibit called “Our Old House” in the Shaw Memorial Library.
Prince Ha’alilio, the crowned prince of Hawaii in the mid-19th century, was one of several interesting people Austin came across. The prince is best known for helping Hawaii, or the “Sandwich Islands” at the time, gain recognition from Britain, France and the United States as an independent sovereign nation. Years later, in 1898, the United States formally annexed Hawaii and made it an official U.S. territory two years later before it officially became a state in 1959.
But in 1843, Ha’alilio visited Plainfield with town native William Richards, a missionary who was close with the king and helped promote constitutional monarchy on the islands.
During Ha’alilio’s time in town, he stayed at the Hallock House, 525 West Main St. The trip did not end well for Ha’alilio, who died in New York as he was heading home.
“Unfortunately, he probably got some diseases,” said Austin.
The two-and-a-half story, gable-roofed house has also been home to many other notable people in town, including teachers and ministers. According to Austin’s presentation, the house “stands as one of the grandest residences in Plainfield, distinguished by its size, architectural style, and commanding position within the landscape.”
Welcoming a spy
The following century a spy moved to Plainfield in 1967 when former CIA operative Charles McCarry entered a second career as an acclaimed spy-fiction novelist.
For a number of years McCarry lived in a one-and-a-half story Greek Revival Cape at 109 South St. Austin added, however, that McCarry traveled extensively and Plainfield was more of a “summer home.”
McCarry’s breakthrough work and bestselling novel, “The Tears of Autumn,” which explored theories surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, is on display. Alongside the book is a Boston Globe article from 1995 that references McCarry living in town.
Long before McCarry lived there, the South Street home — dating to the 1790s — belonged to Revolutionary War veteran Capt. James Hayward, one of the foundational figures in Plainfield’s early history. Hayward served on the Select Board from 1795 to 1798 and is buried in town.
Other artifacts include a small bundle of books donated by another prominent Plainfield resident and author, Charles Dudley Warner, who has a hill in town named after him.
Warner became Mark Twain’s next door neighbor in Hartford after leaving Plainfield at a young age. Together, Warner and Twain coined “The Gilded Age,” an enduring term referring to post-Civil War America, after they co-wrote the 1873 satirical novel, “The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.”
Of the various artifacts, one in particular was Austins’ favorite — a ledger from the former Maplewood Inn, located at 355 West Main St. She flipped through its thick, yellowed pages noting the diverse groups of people who hailed from Philadelphia and New York City.
“The thing that started to get me really excited is this — Rev. Stephen Pixley,” said Austin, pointing to the minister’s signature in the ledger.
Pixley, she explained, was born in Plainfield and the surname is still common in town. As a minister, he was a missionary to the Zulu tribe of South Africa during the 1880s.
“So why was he here? We came to find out he had seven of his own children, but he adopted this young man,” said Austin, pointing to a photo of Pixley ka Isaka Seme.
Seme came to America in the eighth grade. Orphaned at a young age, he came under Pixley’s mentorship. As an homage to the reverend, Seme adopted the name “Pixley” when applying in 1898 to the Northfield Mount Hermon School, then the Mount Hermon School in Gill. Rev. Pixley helped secure his admission there.
Austin believes Pixley stayed at the inn around this time.
Seme went on to receive degrees at the country’s most prestigious institutions, including Columbia and Oxford universities, and dedicated his life to advocating for African political rights and land reform.
One artifact Austin found especially memorable — if slightly gross — was an old jar once used for canned chicken. The property at 27 Broom St., now home to a marijuana farm, was formerly used to bone, process and can chicken.
Of the 14 houses Austin documented, one at 278 East Main St. is currently on the market. Located in the heart of town, the home was at one time “Packard’s Store.”
The structure’s bricks are especially notable for Austin. It is one of the few buildings in town made from bricks manufactured in Plainfield. The interior of the 1820 structure has been updated and is currently listed at $349,500.
Then there’s the home at 98 West Hill Road, a white-washed farmhouse constructed in 1791, that has clung to its historical accents almost unchanged.
“I feel you can almost tell the history of the United States through the town, through these houses,” said Austin, reflecting on the collection she’s put together. “You can see the militia, people in the service and some of the big things that happened in our country right along with it.”
Austin said the process of gaining all these details came from combing through deeds, researching official records and other means. She is happy to help others dig into their houses, she said, adding that documentation on Plainfield will continue.
Austin also acknowledged students from Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School who printed the posters she designed, which will also be gifted to the homeowners after the exhibit ends.
“I think these small towns are important to keep history alive, because there’s a lot of lessons to be learned,” said Austin.
The exhibit in the library will be up until Saturday, June 27, which is open three days a week: Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. til noon. The entire set of posters and pictures are digitally available online.
