Once part of Haverhill, Massachusetts, Plaistow was named in 1749 when it was set aside to be an English plaistowe, meaning an open space or greenwood, near the center of a village where the maypole stood and where sports at holiday times were carried on. Other places in and around the town were named Timburlain, Policy Pond, Spicket Meadow, and Amesbury Peak.
