Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Berkshire county. This large manufacturing and agricultural town, a mart of trade for a large section of the country, lies 125 miles W. from Boston, 5 N. from Lenox, and 33 E. from Albany, N.Y. Population, 1837, 3,575. The settlement of this place, the Indian Pontoosuck, was commenced in 1736. It was incorporated in 1761. It was a frontier town for some years, and garrisons were erected for the protection of the inhabitants against the inroads of the savages. The town is finely watered by two branches of the Housatonick, which unite near its centre. There are in Pittsfield 6 woolen and 2 cotton mills, and manufactures of muskets, iron castings, tin ware, leather, hats, carriages, prunella buttons, chairs, corn brooms, cabinet ware, &c.; total amount, the year ending April 1, 1837, $688,716. The value of 12,962 fleeces of wool sheared in the town the same year was $19,443. Pittsfield is one of the pleasantest towns in New England: it lies 1,000 feet above the level of the sea, in a fertile valley between the Taughkannick [Taconic] and Green mountain ranges. The village is well located and contains many beautiful buildings, which, with the fine scenery and well cultivated farms that surround it, presents a great variety to charm the eye and to gratify the taste of the intelligent agriculturalist.
There are in Pittsfield a medical institution, a female academy, &c.
