Plainfield, Illinois (Postcard History Series)

Plainfield is the oldest community in Will County. The area was originally home to the Potawatomi Indians who lived along the DuPage River when the French fur trapper Vetel Vermette came to settle in the region. Jesse Walker, a Methodist minister, along with his son-in-law James Walker, came to the area and built a log cabin on the east side of the DuPage River in 1828. James built a permanent sawmill on the river by 1830 in a grove of trees known as Walker's Grove, south of present-day Plainfield. The village of Plainfield was platted in 1834 by Chester Ingersoll. This book, through vintage postcard images, offers a unique view of Plainfield's rich history, including scenes of its early business district, village streets, and the fabulous Electric Park, as well as early schools and churches.

Timothy J. Smith and Michelle Y. Smith are avid longtime collectors of Plainfield postcards. Timothy has coauthored two collector guidebooks on Adelaide Hiebel and Zula Kenyon, the two famous illustration artists from the Gerlach Barklow Calendar Company of Joliet. They are active members of the Joliet Area Historical Museum.