The Chaplin church was built between 1812 and 1815 on Chaplin Hill, a knoll along the highway a half mile from Chaplin's home.  Then, between 1820 and 1850, approximately 25 homes, a tavern, a general store, a dry goods store and a merchant's store were built adjacent to the church along a curved portion of the major north-south route that paralleled the Natchaug River. As a consequence, the majority of the houses that line the Chaplin Village street were built within a single thirty-year period. In 1822, the residents of this new village negotiated with the towns of Mansfield, Hampton and Windham to incorporate Chaplin, named in honor of the town's benefactor. Chaplin Street, as it is now called, became a mile long cut-off when State Route 198 was straightened in 1929, thus leaving most of the village homes intact and creating a unique study in time in northeastern Connecticut.  In July 1974, Chaplin Village was designated a Historic District to preserve the character of the buildings and their settings for future generations.