Plainfield Academy (Connecticut)


Plainfield Academy was an early school in Connecticut. It educated many students who went on to prominence. It was founded in 1770 before the Revolutionary War and closed in 1890. One of the school buildings was documented for the Historic American Buildings Survey. The school was in Wyndham County. The school attracted students from around New England amd was considered one of the best in Connecticut. Chickasaw Indians were among its pupils.
Ebenezer Pemberton was the school's first principal. After the school closed, two of its buildings were used for district schools.
Rev. Lucien Burleigh was principal of its grammar school from 1855 until 1860. John Witter also served as principal.
An image of the school is included in the 1917 publication The Government of the People in the State of Connecticut noting it as one of Connecticut's most significant educational institutions.
Land for the school was given by Lydia German and others.
The school was coeducational, teaching men and women.together. Teacher and educational reformer Prudence Crandall, who taught nearby, was inspired by its model including the way it avoided corporal punishment.

Alumni