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Plainfield Academy (Connecticut)

Coordinates: 41°41′05″N 71°54′42″W / 41.6847°N 71.9117°W / 41.6847; -71.9117
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plainfield Academy was a school in Windham County, Vermont[1] founded in 1770 and closed in 1890.[2] One of the school buildings was documented for the Historic American Buildings Survey. The school attracted students from around New England and was considered one of the best in Connecticut.[3] It educated many students who went on to prominence. Chickasaw Indians were among its pupils.[3]

History

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Ebenezer Pemberton was the school's first principal.[4] Land for the school was given by Lydia German and others.[5] The school was coeducational, teaching men and women together.[6] Teacher and educational reformer Prudence Crandall, who taught nearby, was inspired by its model including the way it avoided corporal punishment.[6]

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.[7]

Legacy

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After the school closed, two of its buildings (White Hall and Brock Hall) were used for district schools.[4] Rev. Lucien Burleigh was principal of its grammar school from 1855 until 1860.[3] John Witter also served as principal.[5]

Alumni

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References

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  1. ^ "Old Academy, Plainfield, Windham County, CT". Library of Congress.
  2. ^ "Plainfield Academy: Grooming Connecticut Scholars in the 18th and 19th Centuries | Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project". 22 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Williams, Donald E. Jr. (June 3, 2014). Prudence Crandall's Legacy: The Fight for Equality in the 1830s, Dred Scott, and Brown v. Board of Education. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 9780819574718 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b Lincoln, Allen B. (November 30, 1920). "A Modern History of Windham County, Connecticut: A Windham County Treasure Book". S. J. Clarke Publishing Company – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b Larned, Ellen Douglas (1880). "History of Windham County, Connecticut: 1760-1880".
  6. ^ a b Williams, Donald E. (2014-06-03). Prudence Crandall's Legacy: The Fight for Equality in the 1830s, Dred Scott, and Brown v. Board of Education. ISBN 9780819574718.
  7. ^ Douglas, Charles Henry (1917). "The Government of the People in the State of Connecticut".

41°41′05″N 71°54′42″W / 41.6847°N 71.9117°W / 41.6847; -71.9117