Plainfield High School - Milestone Yearbook (Plainfield, NJ)

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Plainfield is fortunate to have industrial development, a large downtown shopping area, a hospital, a good public school system, a public library, and even two large parks, along with several smaller parks comprising a well-rounded city. The two major parks in Plainfield are Greenbrook Park and Cedarbrook Park. They are located at opposite ends of town. Pictured here is Cedarbrook Park, which is located off Park Avenue and bordering South Plainfield. Cedarbrook and Greenbrook Parks each have a pond for fishing in spring and summer and ice skating in winter. They also have several baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and playground equipment for children. Cedarbrook Park boasts a brook, and picnic areas, and is well known for its Shakespeare and Iris gardens. Today Plainfield has a population exceeding 45,330. Although the city is primarily residential in character, it possesses a number of major industries that make it the business center of central New Jersey. Its chief manufacturers include: automotive equipment, painting, aircraft parts, storage tanks, machinery, chemicals, garments, appliances, printing presses, metal products, trophies, electric components, along with several others. Plainfield also has over 50 historical sites. Besides these historical spots there are also many modern sites such as the Public Library and the new building of PHS itself.

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. . .a look at the present Plainfield High School has changed over the years. The original high school was built in 1867, only twenty years after the founding of the Public School System. It was the second high school to be formed in the state of New Jersey. It was located on Fifth Street and Arlington Avenue and was known as Stillman School. The building had eight rooms, four of which were used for the secondary school. The first graduating class boasted eight students. As the result of a growing population, the old Seventh Day Baptist Church accommodated Plainfield’s students in 1897. In 1904, after more overcrowding, the cornerstone of the Plainfield High School building was laid in the Baptist Burial ground. In 1929 and in 1937, additions to this building were added. In 1959, Plainfield High School was established as a three year high school. In 1966, plans for a new high school were approved. In September, 1970, the new building located at 950 Park Avenue was opened. In 1972, Plainfield High School added a ninth grade class in order to establish a full four year program. Today, the Plainfield High School Complex includes two buildings, housing over 2,600 students. MUHLENBERG HOSPITAL Muhlenberg Hospital is located on the corner of Randolph Road and Park Avenue and was founded in 1877. Besides the 510 available beds, Muhlenberg is known as a voluntary, community teaching center, serving about 60,000 persons annually. There are five nationally accredited educational programs conducted at the hospital in addition to a specialize d medical education program. Muhlenberg is also affiliated with Union College and Rutgers Medical School.

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. a look into the past BABCOCK BUILDING George H. Babcock, supposedly one of Plainfield’s first millionaires, was a great inventor. He built one city block, thought to be one of the finest architecturally between New York and Philadelphia. One building, built in 1893, located on West Front Street and Madison Avenue, was known as the Babcock Building. This building was five stories high and had many offices, such as a post office and department store. On March 6, 1902, the building was destroyed by one of the largest fires in Plainfield’s history. The Babcock Building OTR PTT ya Bt — yn ee: Oy ee Pst SS m4) % Pk. Vie ‘Nix o DI0 i Pass The Plainfield Public Library QUAKER MEETING HOUSE The Quaker Meeting House, located on Watchung Avenue, was built on the property of William Webster. This meeting house, still serving Plainfield’s Society of Friends, lent its name to the pet community, which officially became ‘Plainfield’, Kall os — pice ailooe aumesy when the post office was established in 1800. This is Plainfield’s only surviving 18th century building in the center of town — the Quaker Meeting House. The Quaker Meeting House DRAKE HOUSE i i ae The Drake House, located at 602 West Front Street, is said to have been Washington’s es eae Headquarters in Plainfield during the Battle of CAE Ae Short Hills in the American Revolution on June Heat AU 26, 1977. This house was built by Issac Drake in 1745 and was passed on from generation to generation within his family. In 1864, it was purchased by John Harburger, who added several rooms to the house. In 1920, the West End Civic Associat ion bought the house in order to preserve it. The deed was later transferred to the Historical Society of Plainfield and North ot Plainfield. It is maintained today as a public ca nies eee eee museum by the Historical Society and the City of Daake Haws, Planfall 2.) Krall Plainfield. | The Drake House