Basic Needs
The mills were the main factor that transformed the economy of Plainfield. The opportunity to earn steady wages brought many workers into the area. This influx of laborers developed a demand for new establishments to provide their basic needs. Many mills established affordable housing developments for their workers. Catholic and Episcopal churches were built to meet the needs of French-Canadian and English workers. The Lawton Inn and Community Building were established to meet the needs of travelers, and for social events for mill employees. Each of these improvements served to bring communities of workers closer. These communities consisted of close knit families who shared similar needs and benefited from the advances provided by the mill society.
Plainfield also experienced improvement in its educational facilities. Each of the villages' schoolhouses were incapable of handling the increase in population. In 1913, a brick building was built to house grades one through eight in the village of Plainfield. This was a huge improvement form the one room schoolhouse that previously handled all of the villages' students. Further additions were made in the late twenties. Similar advances in education were made in each of the villages as the population grew.