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Founded in
1768 by John Cram, initially Pittsfield was a collection of
farms with several small centers of activity: The Lower
City, Upper City, South Pittsfield, Knowltons
 Corners
and the Berry District. Each of these places had a number
of homes and some combination of stores, churches, schools
and mills. Within a few decades, the "Lower City" along the
Suncook River became the dominant political, social and
industrial center of activity in Pittsfield. The town
of Pittsfield, New Hampshire was
incorporated on March 22, 1782 and its first meeting house
erected in 1789. The first church was erected in 1789 in
what now houses the present Pittsfield Community Center The
first school was constructed in 1777 near Catamount Mountain
across from the Quaker Burying Ground.
From the
very beginning, industry played an important role in
Pittsfield economy. Upon his arrival, Cram erected saw and
grist mills. About 1820, James Joy erected a scythe factory
below these mills and in 1826 a cotton mill was erected. In
1826, Cotton Drake engaged a shoe maker to come to
Pittsfield to teach his sons how to make shoes. The idea
caught on and soon dozens of farmers and their families were
manufacturing shoes in their homes.
Between
1830 and 1840 the town population grew by 34.7%. As a
result, new homes had to be built. To meet this demand
James Joy and his successors at the cotton mill built a
number of houses which became known as the "Corporation."
Others erected stately single-family homes in the down
area.
With the
arrival of the railroad in 1869, Pittsfield became the
commercial center of the Suncook Valley. Farmers brought
their products from surrounding towns for shipment to Boston
and points south. The same farmers purchased dry goods,
groceries, farm implements and other products in
Pittsfield's stores which gave rise to a tremendous increase
in commercial activity. In 1924, the Suncook Valley
Railroad became a part of the Boston and Maine system and
continued to serve the valley that gave it its name. The
end of the railroad era occurred in 1950.
In the war
between the states, "it is doubtful if any other town
furnished a more honorable list of men than Pittsfield, in
proportion to the size. Pittsfield sent into the ranks one
hundred and forty seven. Of these fifty-nine were either
killed or permanently disabled; more than 40 percent were
casualties." E Harold Young, History of Pittsfield
In 1870,
Doak, Pecker & Swett erected a 30' by 200' shoe factory on
Catamount Street near the railroad depot. Later the factory
was doubled in size. Soon several other shoe factories
emerged. Most importantly, in 1879 "Riverside 1" was
erected below the cotton mill on Joy Street. It was
occupied by C. B. Lancaster which immediately began
constructing another building, "Riverside 2" adjacent to
it. By 1880, there were thriving shoe businesses on both
ends of Pittsfield Village.
In 1901,
Globe Manufacturing Company moved to Pittsfield. Since
that time, Globe Manufacturing has grown to over 180
employees and is recognized as the largest manufacturer of
protective clothing for firefighters in the world.
Pittsfield Historical Society
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