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A TIMELINE OF FAITH AND COMMUNITY:

PLAINFIELD, 1822 TO 1997

1822	Jeremiah Hadley purchases land in Plainfield area.
1829	Plainfield Christian Church is organized by 17 men and women.  Log church building constructed.
1832	Elias Hadley and Levi Jessup plat town of Plainfield with 64 lots laid out in 5 districts.
1836	Organizational meeting of the Plainfield United Methodist Church held.
1839	Plainfield incorporates.  (This incorporation later given up)
1842	A stage carrying former President Martin Van Buren is purposely tipped over in the mud as a protest near what came to be know as Van Buren's elm.
1844	First Sunday School held at Plainfield United Methodist Church.
1849	Conservative Friends build a meetinghouse in Plainfield.
1851	Quakers from North Carolina erect a meeting house at Sugar Grove, south of Plainfield.  The meeting has both conservative and progressive members.
1858	First Baptist Church organized by 4 families.
	Western Yearly Meeting organizes and completes a brick meeting house on 12 acres on Main Street.
1860	Local paper starts.
1865	Plainfield Christian Church erects a brick structure.
1867	The Boys School is established in Plainfield as the House of Refuge for Juvenile Offenders.
	Public grade school built on North East St.
1871	Library established at Plainfield Meeting House.
1880	First Baptist Church erects a large building at Krewson & N. Vine Streets.
1881	Plainfield Quarterly Meeting establishes Central Academy with first classes being held in town hall.
1885	300 students in grade school.
1891	Church building dedicated by Methodist Church.
1897	First Plainfield high school built on North Vine St.
1900	Graduating class of 3 at Plainfield High School.
1901	First public library opened at North East St & East Main.
1903	House of Refuge for Juvenile Offenders' name is changed to The  Indiana Boys Schools.
1904	Plainfield incorporated for second time.
1907	West Elementary Grade Building is constructed as the high school, later used as one of the first junior highs in the state.
1910	Plainfield population is 1,303.
1912	Carnegie Library dedicated on South Center St. Carnegie gave $9,000 toward new building provided the town would contrbute $900 annually.
1913	Plainfield acquires water works for $1,800.
1916	Plainfield's Auto Book Wagon established.   7,482 books circulated first year.
1921	National Road is paved through Plainfield.
1926	Population = 3,134.
1940	Plainfield High School is admitted to North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
1941	National Road is turned into a four-lane highway.
1951	Maple Grove Baptist Church holds organizational meeting in a garage.
	First services of Maple Grove Baptist Church held in a new cinder block building.
	General Offices of Public Service Indiana (PSI) located in Plainfield.
1953	Father John Rirdy appointed as founding pastor of St. Susanna Parish.
	Cornerstone laid for St. Susanna Catholic Church.  Membership, 55 families.
	St. Mark's Episcopal Mission started in a meeting at the library.
1954	Township schools system reorganizes under a five-member school board of Guilford Township School Corporation.
	Van Buren Grade School established.
	Plainfield Christian Church celebrates 125th anniversary.
1955	First meeting of Plainfield Christian Church held at new church building.
	Plainfield Christian Church has 1,045 members.
1956	Plainfield Baptist Church established by Rev. L. Whitlock and others.
	Lutheran congregation formed in meetings held at Plainfield Public Library.
	July.  Twelve charter members of St. Luke Lutheran Church buy 17 acres of land, with 5 acres for the church and the remaining acreage to be resold for residences. Proceeds of sale of lots helped pay for church building.
1957	New High School constructed.
	Plainfield Baptist Church buys building of Methodist congregation at 301 S. Center St.
1958	Financial statement for December 31, 1958 shows St. Susanna Parish has debt of $189,032.00.
	St. Luke Lutheran Church dedicated at 550 St. Luke Drive.
	A new facility is dedicated by Plainfield United Methodist Church.
1959	First organizational meeting of Hope Presbyterian Church.  First services held at town library then at American Legion Hall.
1960	Population is nearly 5,500.
	First meeting of Calvary Baptist church held.
	Rev. C. Luther Bostrum becomes first full-time minister of Hope Presbyterian.
1962	Plainfield Bible Church started by 5 families meeting in homes.
	Plainfield Christian Church sets aside $4,800 to help establish the Avon Christian Church.
1963	School Corporation changes name to Plainfield Community School Corporation
	Hope Presbyterian Church building completed.
	Maple Grove Baptist Church has made additions to its building between 1956 and 1963 that have added 2,100 sq. ft.
	Brentwood Grade School established.
	New Bethel A.M.E. church is constructed at Lincoln and Vine streets.
1964	Calvary Baptist Church moves to 201 N. Vine Street after having services in members' homes for many years.
1965	St. Mark's Episcopal Mission building dedicated in a former Christian Church building.  Both St. Mark's and the Christian church worship in the building until the Christian Church edifice is completed.
1967	Bethel A.M.E. has first service in New Church.
1968	St. Susanna parish is debt free and has saved $13,000 toward a new church building.
1970	First service held at 620 N. Carr Rd., home of First Assembly of God.
	Plainfield population, 8,211, Township population, 14,439.
1971	Indiana Youth Center opens as a minimum security facility for first-time offenders.
	First Mass held at new church of St. Susanna parish on Mother's Day.  Dedication 9/19/71.
1975	Construction begins on new building for Calvary Baptist Church.
	Population, 9,015.
1976	New Calvary Baptist Church building is occupied.
	Muslim Student Association (MSA) acquires 124 acres of land in Plainfield to construct the Islamic Center of North America.
1977	Plainfield hires a Town Manager to advise the town board on technical matters.
1978	Membership of St. Susanna Catholic Church is 430.
	960 people sign a petition against the proposed Islamic Center, stating that the plans violated a residential zoning ordinance. While the appeal is pending in the circuit court of appeals a sign at the entrance to the property is painted with the letters "KKK."  The appeal is denied.
1980	Plainfield population, 9,191.  Township population, 17,052.
1982	Work on Phase I of Islamic Center of North America completed.  It consists of a mosque and library.  Capacity of mosque is 500 with possibility to increase to 1,500.  Building is 40,444-sq. ft. and it has 3 floors.
1984	Parishioners of St. Susanna Catholic Church burn the mortgage.   There are more than 80 pupils at St. Susanna School.
1985	Plainfield Christian Church membership is 1,247.
	Membership of Plainfield United Methodist Church is 1,100.
	Membership of St. Mark's Episcopal Church is 45-50 families.  Rector is Rev. Jacqueline Means, the first woman ordained priest in the Episcopal Church of America.  The church has an Education Center at Center and Krewson Streets.
	First service held at newly constructed Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Location is at Reeves Rd. and Indiana 267.
1990	Plainfield population, 15,350.  Township population, 19,550.
1992	A 36-member committee distributes surveys to Plainfield residents.  The survey "sought to find the most important [community] values" of residents.  2,318 surveys were returned of the 20,000 distributed.  Community members contributed $3,000 for the survey.
1997	The Greater Plainfield Chamber of Commerce implements it 's 12-month "Strategic Plan," calling for a Main Street Revitalization program, an "Internal Workings" program for Chamber members, active support of the Plainfield Housing Committee, direct commercial and industrial development in the "greater Plainfield Community," devise a plan to address quality of life issues re the Indianapolis International Airport, and continue to sponsor the Christmas lights in the town, sell the Chamber's real estate and move to new office space, and redefine the membership of the Board of Directors.