A Walking Tour of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
By Doug Gelbert
()
About this ebook
There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour is ready to explore when you are.
Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.
Pittsfield began as a business deal. In 1738 Colonel Jacob Wendell, bought 24,000 acres of lands known originally as Pontoosuck, a Mohican Indian word meaning “a field or haven for winter deer.” Wendell acquired the land as a speculative venture; there is no evidence he ever visited Western Massachusetts from his home in Boston. Some say he bought the land as a tax dodge to resell without being subject to Boston levies, others say he was looking to develop for settlers. Either way the French and Indian War delayed development on the frontier for many years after some rudimentary settlement in 1743.
By 1761 the village was ready to incorporate. Royal Governor, Sir Francis Bernard named it Pittsfield after British nobleman and politician William Pitt, a vocal supporter of the Americans. Pittsfield was an agricultural community, newly cleared cropfields were nourished by the many streams feeding into the Housatonic River. Merino sheep from Spain were introduced into the area in 1807 and woolen mills dominated the economic climate for most of the rest of the century.
Situated in the center of the Berkshire Hills, the growing town became the county seat in 1868, replacing Lenox. The character of Pittsfield was to change dramatically in 1891, the year it incorporated as a city. William Stanley had recently come to town, up from Great Barrington, to establish his Stanley Manufacturing Company to produce the country’s first alternating current electric transformers. In 1903 the General Electric Corporation purchased controlling interest in Stanley’s company and the nascent corporate giant began establishing a presence in Pittsfield that would reach a peak workforce of over 13,000 and push the population to a high of 50,000.
Widespread layoffs at General Electric in the 1980s began a company withdrawal that would claim all but a few hundred jobs. General Electric left behind an industrial wasteland that became a federally designated Brownfields site. The company left a legacy on the Pittsfield streetscape as well - what was once a town of great estates was now dominated by developments for middle-class workers. Our walking tour of downtown Pittsfield will be dominated mostly by pre-GE structures, many of which have changed usage with as the town has changed through the years. We’ll begin on the original village green which no longer calls to mind the bucolic sheep-raising days of early Pittsfield...
Read more from Doug Gelbert
Look Up, Savannah! A Walking Tour of Savannah, Georgia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of The New Orleans French Quarter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Miami Beach, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, San Diego! A Walking Tour of Balboa Park Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Walking Tour of Greensboro, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Tucson, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Tucson, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Chicago! A Walking Tour of The Loop (North End) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Pittsburgh's Business District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Williamsburg, Virginia Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Walking Tour of Tampa, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Boise! A Walking Tour of Boise, Idaho Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Aiken, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Oakland! A Walking Tour of Oakland, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Georgetown, South Carolina Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Walking Tour of New York City's Upper West Side Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Walking Tour of New York City's Upper East Side Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Jacksonville, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Uniontown, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Beaufort, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Toledo! A Walking Tour of Toledo, Ohio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Long Beach! A Walking Tour of Long Beach, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Madison! A Walking Tour of Madison, Wisconsin Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of Bordentown, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Wilmington, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Charleston! A Walking Tour of Charleston, South Carolina: The Battery Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Walking Tour of Meadville, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Gettysburg! A Walking Tour of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Nashville! A Walking Tour of Nashville, Tennessee Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to A Walking Tour of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Related ebooks
A Walking Tour of Fitchburg, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Batavia! A Walking Tour of Batavia, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of North Stonington, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Pottstown, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Farmington, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bristol, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Binghamton! A Walking Tour of Binghamton, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Greenwich, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bridgeton, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Mount Holly, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Middletown, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Baltimore's Mount Vernon Place Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Pottsville, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Great Barrington, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Leesburg, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Old Saybrook, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Conway, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Moorestown, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Washington, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElizabeth City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Augusta! A Walking Tour of Augusta, Maine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Corning, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Wethersfield, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Norristown, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Fall River, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBethel Park Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChalfont and New Britain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Madison! A Walking Tour of Madison, Wisconsin Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of Millville, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
United States Travel For You
Foxfire Living: Design, Recipes, and Stories from the Magical Inn in the Catskills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dark Side of Disney Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Magical Power of the Saints: Evocation and Candle Rituals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lake Superior Rocks & Minerals Field Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Hawaii the Big Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rockhounding & Prospecting: Upper Midwest: How to Find Gold, Copper, Agates, Thomsonite, and Other Favorites Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Insight Guides Hawaii (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultimate Guide to Free Things To Do in Las Vegas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor’s Alaska Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints: A Guide to Magical New Orleans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Michigan Rocks & Minerals: A Field Guide to the Great Lake State Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's New Orleans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Seattle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrees of Texas Field Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anne Rice's Unauthorized French Quarter Tour: Anne Rice Unauthorized Tours Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Deciphering the Lost Symbol: Freemasons, Myths and the Mysteries of Washington, D.C. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Man's Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Huckleberry Finn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for A Walking Tour of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Walking Tour of Pittsfield, Massachusetts - Doug Gelbert
A Walking Tour of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
a walking tour in the Look Up, America series from walkthetown.com
by Doug Gelbert
published by Cruden Bay Books at Smashwords
Copyright 2010 by Doug Gelbert
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.
Pittsfield began as a business deal. In 1738 Colonel Jacob Wendell, bought 24,000 acres of lands known originally as Pontoosuck, a Mohican Indian word meaning a field or haven for winter deer.
Wendell acquired the land as a speculative venture; there is no evidence he ever visited Western Massachusetts from his home in Boston. Some say he bought the land as a tax dodge to resell without being subject to Boston levies, others say he was looking to develop for settlers. Either way the French and Indian War delayed development on the frontier for many years after some rudimentary settlement in 1743.
By 1761 the village was ready to incorporate. Royal Governor, Sir Francis Bernard named it Pittsfield after British nobleman and politician William Pitt,