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Plainville, Connecticut: Connecticut's Oldest Airport and a Flying Governor

Plainville, Connecticut

Pictures from Plainville

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Pinnacle Rock Robertson Airport, aerial view Downtown Plainville

Known in early settlement as "the Great Plain of Farmington," Plainville sits between Bradley Mountain and Pinnacle Rock on the Metacomet Ridge; Europeans first inhabited the area around 1650, and it remained part of Farmington from the 1660s until Plainville separated in 1869 as the town center grew and the New York, New Haven and Hartford and Hartford, Providence and Fishkill railroads arrived. The Farmington Canal, which opened through town in 1828 and was completed to Northampton by 1835, brought warehouses, factories and taverns; when rail replaced canal traffic, Plainville's towpaths became railways. Robertson Field, founded in 1911, is the oldest airport in Connecticut and was the home field of Governor John H. Trumbull, who grew up in Plainville, co-founded Trumbull Electric there in 1899, and earned the nickname "the Flying Governor" after getting his pilot's license in 1926 at age 53. The Town of Plainville has owned the airport since 2009.

  1. Industrial, transportation and aviation history exhibits.

  2. A 600-foot traprock summit on the Plainville-Farmington line.

  3. Home of Plainville's hot air balloon festival since 1985.

  4. A paved rail-trail on the historic canal towpath.

  5. Connecticut's oldest airport, founded 1911.

  6. Four war memorials, established 1945.

  7. Statewide-known wings in an 18th-century building.

  8. A family-owned small-batch brewery.

  9. A gourmet burger spot, BYOB.

Balloons, an axe-and-plow museum, and a Civil War monument

Plainville's hot air balloon festival was established in 1985 to mark the local fire department's centennial and has drawn as many as 20,000 people to Norton Park. Veterans Memorial Park, established in 1945 at the corner of Maple and Whiting Streets, holds an early-1900s 22-foot granite Civil War standard-bearer statue first proposed in 1872 and moved from New Haven Railroad property, alongside monuments for both World Wars, Korea and Vietnam, and Desert Storm. The Plainville Historic Center covers the town's industrial, aviation and family history, including a private pilot's license issued in 1930.

Getting there

Plainville is a drive-to town about ten miles southwest of Hartford: take I-84 to Exit 46 (formerly Exit 32) for Route 10/Queen Street, or Exit 48 (formerly Exit 33) for the Route 72 freeway, which runs west from Route 9 in New Britain and ends at Route 372 in Plainville, continuing as the E. Bartlett Barnes Highway through Bristol. There is no passenger rail station in town — the two rail lines crossing Plainville carry freight only — so the nearest CTrail Hartford Line stop is Berlin. General-aviation pilots can land at town-owned Robertson Field (FAA identifier 4B8).

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Plainville?
By car — I-84 Exit 46 reaches Route 10/Queen Street, and Exit 48 reaches the Route 72 freeway into town. There is no passenger rail station in Plainville; the nearest CTrail Hartford Line stop is Berlin.
Is there a train to Plainville?
No. The two rail lines through Plainville carry freight only. The nearest CTrail Hartford Line station is Berlin.
What is Robertson Field?
Connecticut's oldest airport, founded in 1911 and town-owned since 2009, home field of "Flying Governor" John H. Trumbull. It operates today as a public-use general aviation, charter and flight-training airport.
What is the Plainville hot air balloon festival?
An annual festival at Norton Park, established in 1985 to mark the fire department's centennial, drawing up to 20,000 people. Confirm current-year dates with the Plainville Fire Company before planning a trip.
Is there a hotel in Plainville?
A Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott is mapped at 400 New Britain Avenue near J. Timothy's Taverne; confirm rates and availability directly before booking.

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