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History of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Journey back in time to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
(Coltsville)
Visit Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and genealogy.
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Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts, USA
Pittsfield is one of a number of places in the United States named for Sir William Pitt, earl of Chatham, the celebrated English statesman.
How New England Towns Received Their Names
The Day
New London, Connecticut
October 21, 1914
In 1902, President Roosevelt miraculously escaped death, and the first secret service agent was killed here.
Pittsfield includes: Coltsville, Eveningside, Junction Station, Lower Bakersville, Morningside, Pomeroy, Pontoosuc, Russell's, Shaker Village, Sternsville, Taconic, Tillotson's, Allendale, Arrowhead, Balance Rock, Barkerville, The Bars, Beech Grove, Bel Air, Bobtown, and Camp Merrill.
netronline.com/mass_lookup.htm
There is MUCH more to discover about Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA. Read on!
Old Photos, Pictures, Advertisements and Postcards from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
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Engstrom's Antiseptic Soothing Ointment
Read more about Ernst Oscar ENGSTRÖM


Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA

1855 view of Pittsfield from a newspaper
Source: en.wikipedia.org - image is in the public domain

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Postcard

Van Sicklers Mill, 1906
The cotton factory, erected in 1832 a short distance south of the Elm Street bridge and near the site of the first mill dam built in the town, was owned in 1876 by Martin Van Sickler. He died in 1891, having long outlived... Read MORE...
Read more about Martin J VAN SICKLER

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
genealogybank.com

Date: December 03, 1868
Location: Massachusetts
Paper: Pittsfield Sun

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Postcard

Berkshire Life Insurance Building
Berkshire Life Insurance Company Building is a historic commercial building at 5-7 North Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It is located in the heart of downtown Pittsfield, facing Park Square across North... Read MORE...

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Thanks to Steve Roberts

Berkshire Brewing Association Plant "Then and Now"
Read more about Jacob C GIMLICH


Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA

Berkshire Brewing Association (352 Columbus Avenue, Pittsfield, MA 1891-1918) bottle opener. Thanks to Scott Pepoon for the photo.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA

Berkshire Brewing Association (352 Columbus Avenue, Pittsfield, MA 1891-1918) tray. Thanks to Scott Pepoon for the photo.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA

Berkshire Brewing Association (352 Columbus Avenue, Pittsfield, MA 1891-1918) tray. Thanks to Scott Pepoon for the photo.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Postcard

Central Fire Station
The present central fire station, of brick, facing the head of School Street, was erected in 1895, and
after the dedication of the building, on September twenty-fourth of that year, all divisions of the Pittsfield fire... Read MORE...

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
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Hurlbut's High Grade Papers
Hurlbut Stationery Co., Pittsfield, Mass.
The Ladies' Home Journal
February 1898
In 1893, Arthur W. Eaton, then president of the Hurlbut Paper Manufacturing Company of South Lee, organized the Hurlbut Stationery... Read MORE...
Read more about Arthur Watson EATON

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Postcard

Hotel Wendell, 1898
Located right in the heart of downtown Pittsfield, it opened in 1898 to much fanfare, with dignitaries including Lieutenant Governor Winthrop M. Crane, the paper magnate from nearby Dalton who later served as governor and US... Read MORE...

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Postcard

East Street and First Congregational Church, Pittsfield, Mass.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Postcard

Maplewood Hotel. Pittsfield, Mass.
What began as the Maplewood Institute, a school for girls, was transformed into the Maplewood Hotel in 1887, three years after the school closed. The hotel could not survive the Great Depression, and it was sold ... Read MORE...

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Postcard

House of Mercy Hospital
The history of what would become Berkshire Medical Center begins with the House of Mercy. In the 1860's, Dr. Henry H. Childs witnessed poverty and suffering in his clinics and saw the need for a hospital in Pittsfield. The ... Read MORE...

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA

South St. Pittsfield, MA - 1916
Read more about Friedrich Wilhelm ("William") FEIGE

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Postcard

Masonic Temple, 1917
On South Street the Masonic Temple was built in 1912, at a construction cost of about $50,000, and devoted to the uses of the Masonic fraternity.
The history of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, from the year 1876 to the year... Read MORE...

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Thanks to Steve Roberts

363 Columbus Ave, Pittsfield, Massachusetts - Home of Jacob and Louisa Ellen Feige Gimlich
Read more about Louisa Ellen FEIGE

History, News and Stories of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts, USA
In 1738, a wealthy Bostonian, Col. Jacob Wendell, bought 24,000 acres (97 km2) of lands known originally as Pontoosuck, a Mohican Indian word meaning ... Read MORE...
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1752 - Pittsfield is settled
Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates
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1761 - Pittsfield is incorporated
Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates
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1814 - First Agricultural Fair in America
Elkanah Watson exhibited his two Marino sheep on the public square in Pittsfield in 1807. The Massachusetts born Watson is without question “the... Read MORE...
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1845 - PITTSFIELD. [Pop. 8,747. Inc. 1761.]
Pittsfield was granted to Boston, and called Boston Plantation, No. 3.
The Indian name of this town was Poontoosuck, and it was named Pittsfield,... Read MORE...
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1854 - Pittsfield
Pittsfield, a flourishing post-town of Berkshire county, Massachusetts, on the Western railroad, at the northern terminus of the Housatonic railroad, ... Read MORE...
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1859 - First Intercollegiate Baseball Game
In 1859, the first intercollegiate baseball game is played in Pittsfield. Amherst defeats Williams College 73-32.
"And I think a lot of folks,... Read MORE...
1859 - A German Religious Society
We are informed that there is much religious interest among the German population of this vicinity. They have organized a parish under the name of... Read MORE...
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February 23, 1860 - German Lutheran Church
The German Lutheran Society in this town, of which the Rev. Mr. Grotrian, a very excellent man, is pastor, have been engaged for some time in... Read MORE...
1865 - 19 Marriageable Ladies
In one short street in Pittsfield, Mass., there are nineteen marriageable young ladies, and not an offer. Chicago will supply the nineteen offers on... Read MORE...
1868 - Train Derailment
A train on the Housatonic Railway was thrown from the track, on the 18th, by a broken rail. Every passenger was injured, Miss Sarah Hayes, of... Read MORE...
1869 - Worth the Pie?
An apprentice boy in Pittsfield, Mass., who was exceedingly fond of mince pies, was told by a lady that she would give him one if he would sit upon... Read MORE...
1871 - Escaped from Jail
A burglar escaped from the jail at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, last week, in an ingenious manner. He began by digging into the wall of his cell,... Read MORE...
1871 - Quite a Mean Man
The Pittsfield Mass., Eagle has unearthed the mean man of that village. He is 50 years old, worth $15,000, has driven all his four boys away from... Read MORE...
1872 - Buried in Pittsfield
The Pittsfield (Mass.) Eagle says that a South Berkshire father, whose child recently died of small pox, being anxious to bury it in a Pittsfield... Read MORE...
1877 - Arrest and Escape from Prussia
Jacob Straub, a naturalized citizen resident of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, just returned from a visit to his parents near Stroudsberg, Prussia, gives ... Read MORE...
1879 - Thieves in Men's Clothing
Two women were caught in men's clothes stealing rare plants from a conservatory at Pittsfield, Mass.; and a visit by officer to their home, a few... Read MORE...
1882 - Tree of Life
A quack physician of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, takes his medicine for all diseases from a bottle labelled: "Water from the tree of life." With this... Read MORE...
1884 - Tried to Repel Burglars
Francis Kernochan, a manufacturer of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, arose in the night to repel burglars, but stumbled on the stairway and shot himself... Read MORE...
1885 - 100th Birthday
Mrs. Elizabeth Granger, of Pittsfield, Mass., who has been a widow seventy-five years, celebrated her one hundredth birthday anniversary... Read MORE...
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Pittsfield Massachusetts, 1890
"PITTSFIELD, the seat of justice in Berkshire County, is a large flourishing town, distinguished for the beauty of its scenery, its noble farms and... Read MORE...
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1891 - Pittsfield is incorporated as a city
In 1891, the City of Pittsfield is incorporated, and William Stanley, Jr., who had recently relocated his Electric Manufacturing Company to... Read MORE...
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1895 - Pittsfield
Pittsfield, a beautiful city, the capital of Berkshire co., Mass., in Pittsfield township, on the Housatonic River, and on the Boston & Albany... Read MORE...
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1902 - Roosevelt
On September 3, 1902, at 10:15 AM, during a two-week tour through New England campaigning for Republican congressmen, the barouche transporting... Read MORE...
1902 - PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT MIRACULOUSLY ESCAPES DEATH FROM AN ELECTRIC CAR WHICH RUNS DOWN HIS CARRIAGE AND KILLS SECRET SERVICE AGENT.
EXECUTIVE CAUGHT IN WRECK AND BRUISED.
BRAVE GUARD AND THE DRIVER ARE MANGLED.
SECRETARY CORTELYOU ALSO RECEIVES INJURIES.
Pittsfield,... Read MORE...
1903 - Fire In Brewery Barn
Stubborn Blaze Keeps Firemen Busy for Hours
Loss Will Be Fully $3000 - Great Crowd Out.
From Tuesday's Eagle.
By far the most serious... Read MORE...
Read more about Carl Wilhelm Heinrich "Henry" FEIGE1905 - BERKSHIRE COUNTY. PITTSFIELD. Freight Handler Injured.
John W. Bline, a freight handler employed by the Boston and Albany railroad company, sustained a deep scalp wound and a number of severe bruises late ... Read MORE...
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1906
Pittsfield, a city, the capital of Berkshire co., Mass., on the Housatonic River and on the Boston and Albany and the New York, New Haven and... Read MORE...
1907 - MISS ROBINSON’S BODY FOUND. Recovered From Pontoosuc Lake Early Yesterday Afternoon — Clothing Did Not Catch Fire.
At 2:30 yesterday afternoon the body of Miss Lucy May Robinson, who was drowned Tuesday night in Pontoosuc lake following the burning of the launch... Read MORE...
1908 - BERKSHIRE COUNTY. PITTSFIELD. DAMAGE BY HIGH WIND.
Trees Blown Over, Buildings Damaged and Wires Down as Result of Lively Storm.
A wind and rainstorm that passed over Pittsfield Saturday morning... Read MORE...
1912 - Ty Cobb Offered Match - Wanted in Pittsfield, Mass., to Meet Billy Mantel
Failing to induce Young Britt or George Chaney to sign agreements for a match, Ty Cobb, the Philadelphian, will likely leave the city in a few days... Read MORE...
1916 - Wire Netting Bathing Suit
A Pittsfield (Mass). man says he will invent a wire netting bathing suit which will be worn in water invaded by sharks.
genealogybank.com
Miami Herald Record
Miami, Florida
August 28, 1916
1927 - Andrew de Giorgis Slips from Sewer Pipe While Trying to Cross Housatonic River on It.
Pittsfield, May 22.— Andrew de Giorgis, 42, of 3 Naples avenue, was drowned in the east branch of the Housatonic river near the Newell-street bridge... Read MORE...
Tuesday, October 13, 1942 - Looking Backward - 50 Years Ago
Old wooden building used as brewery for many years by Gimlich & White and located in rear of newer brick brewery, torn down. The Berkshire Evening Eagle
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
October 13, 1942
Read more about Jacob C GIMLICHTuesday, February 5, 1946 - 25 years ago
Berkshire Brewing Association votes to brew beer no longer, but turn to soft drinks because of prohibition. Officers President David J Gimlich, vice... Read MORE...
Read more about Louisa Ellen FEIGEThursday, January 29, 1948 - Looking Backward - 50 Years Ago
Gimlich & White are storing immense quantities of ice from Silver Lake. Twenty teams are drawing the cakes and 40 men are cutting and stacking. The Berkshire Evening Eagle
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
January 29, 1948
Read more about Jacob C GIMLICH1949 - Lutheran Church to Mark 90th Anniversary Sunday
More than 900 members of Zion Lutheran Church will celebrate the church's 90th anniversary Sunday morning at 10.45 at the worship service and at a... Read MORE...
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 - Condemned property burns
Benning W. De La Mater
Wednesday, September 13 PITTSFIELD - A blaze that drew dozens of firefighters and nearly 100 spectators to an abandoned house ... Read MORE...
Read more about Louisa Ellen FEIGEThursday, September 14, 2006 - Officials: Fire set on purpose
Benning W. De La Mater
Thursday, September 14 PITTSFIELD -- Fire investigators determined the fire that scorched a condemned house at 363 Columbus... Read MORE...
Read more about Louisa Ellen FEIGE
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA Genealogy
Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
We currently have information about ancestors who were born or died in Pittsfield.View Them Now (sorted by year of birth)
Ancestors Who Were Married in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
We currently have information about ancestors who were married in Pittsfield.View Them Now
Ancestors buried in Pittsfield - Cemeteries in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA
Pittsfield CemeterySt Joseph's Cemetery
Genealogy Resources for Pittsfield
Ancestry®1889 Pittsfield City Directory
The Berkshire Evening Eagle, Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Directories, 1873
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Directories, 1885
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Directories, 1889-93
1896 Pittsfield Directory (MA)
1902 Pittsfield Directory
1903 Pittsfield Directory
1905 Pittsfield Directory
www.rootsweb.com/~maberksh/towns/pittsfield/pitt_deaths/
ZION'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS - BIRTHS AND BAPTISMS, 1860-1923
ZION'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS - MARRIAGES, 1860-1924
ZION'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF PITTSFIELD, MASS. DEATHS, 1860-1923
REGISTER OF VOTERS OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS - 1890 WARD 6 REGISTER - Berkshire Genealogist, Volume 10, Number 1 - Winter 1989
PITTSFIELD SCHOOL DEPARTMENT - DECEMBER, 1892 - Berkshire Genealogist, Volume 24, Number 1 - Winter 2003
PITTSFIELD'S WELL-TO-DO CITIZENS OF 1897 - Berkshire Genealogist, Volume 14, Number 3 - Summer 1993
Pittsfield Directory, 1925-26. Pittsfield, Mass.: Eagle Printing and Binding Co., 1925.
Pittsfield Directory 1926-27 Eagle Publishing Co., comp. Pittsfield Directory 1926-27. Pittsfield MA: Eagle Publishing Co.
Pittsfield Directory, 1928-29. Pittsfield, Mass.: Eagle Printing and Binding Co., 1928.
Pittsfield Massachusetts City Directory 1933
Pittsfield Directory, 1936. Pittsfield, Mass.: Eagle Printing and Binding Co., 1936.
Pittsfield Massachusetts City Directory 1939
Pittsfield Directory, 1922. Pittsfield, Mass.: Eagle Printing and Binding Co., 1922.
ZION'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS - Parish Registers
The Pittsfield Sun, Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts
Berkshire County Whig, Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts
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