Pittsfield Historical Society

11/15/2025

11/08/2025

10/23/2025

Have you ever wanted to know more about the site of the former Pittsfield Redemption Center? We took a little stroll through the Pittsfield Advertiser archives available on our website, and this is what we could put together! If you have any more information or pictures please share them in the comments.

December 1935
Owned (?) by J. Trickey - Unclear use

February 1944
Kennedy Service Station - noted as “Formerly DeWitt’s Garage”

May 1945
Noted as the residence of Mrs. George Kennedy

May 1949
Fairmount Cleaners - Dyeing, Hat-blocking, Shoes

February 1950
Residence of Mr. and Mrs. George Kennedy - Their daughter, Bette, was married at this location on February 4, 1950 to “Ellis (?) A. Doherty, son of Mr. & Mrs. Franklin Doherty, of” location unclear. The “double ring” ceremony was presided over by Rev. Hinckley of the First Universalist Church of Pittsfield.

April 1951
Veda MacDonald received a Victualers’ or Inkeeper’s License for “MacDonald’s Lunch”

January - April 1952
Listed for sale - ads include “Store or garage, modern apartment upstairs, main highway, 10 North Main, Pittsfield, $7500” and “10 North Main Street, Pittsfield, first floor store or garage, 6 room apartment second floor, bath, oil hot water heat, $7500”

February 1958
Quiet’s Service Station (a Gulf station), owned and operated by Lloyd D. Quiet, noted because Mr. Quiet was honored by the Gulf Oil Corporation

March 1960
“Mr. & Mrs. Leon A. Davis of South Main St., Guilford, Maine announce the engagement of their daughter, Brenda Louise, to Harold D. Quiet, son of Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd D. Quiet of 10 North Main Street"

April 1964
Lloyd & Nellie Quiet are granted a Victualers’ or Inkeeper’s License for “Mom’s Lunch”

September 1969 - August 1972
Morrison’s Market

January 1980
Listed for sale: “Commercial building wth 5 room upstairs apt. Excellent income potential. Price reduced to $23,000. Owner financing available with reasonable down payment. Call 487-2211 for details.”

May - July 1980
Still listed for sale - price noted as “low twenties”

September 1983
Advertised as Pittsfield Redemption Center

04/19/2025

Checking in from the Battle Green Rededication in Lexington, MA—marking 250 years to the day since the first shots of the American Revolution.

It’s a strong reminder: the stories we preserve in small towns like Pittsfield are part of a much bigger arc. Some of our earliest residents served in the Revolutionary War, and their legacy lives on in our cemeteries, family names, and town records.

The uniforms may have changed—but the responsibility to remember hasn’t.

04/18/2025

History is hiding in plain sight!

This granite post on Manson Street may not look like much—just another old stone standing by the roadside. But it once marked the front of a thriving business that helped define Pittsfield’s industrial past.

In 1886, R.A. Conant built the town’s largest pant factory behind his home at what is now 11 Manson Street. The two-story building stretched nearly to the railroad tracks and produced workwear at scale—one employee reportedly turned out 60 pairs of overalls in a single day. Fourteen women worked there, and the overhead ran over $3,000 a month.

The building is gone now. But this hitching post remains, a quiet, weathered witness to the working lives and aspirations that once moved through that spot.

Thanks to Richard Davis for sending in this photo—and reminding us that history isn’t always locked in books or behind glass. Sometimes it’s waiting for us on the side of the road, disguised as nothing at all.

Want to help us find, document, and share more of Pittsfield’s hidden history? Join the effort. The Historical Society is back in motion, and there’s plenty of story left to uncover.

04/17/2025

📸 Pittsfield Historical Society is Back!

We had a full house at the Depot tonight—new faces, returning members, and a shared commitment to preserving and celebrating Pittsfield’s incredible story.

This meeting marked the first step in relaunching the Historical Society as a vital part of Pittsfield’s civic life—not just a museum, but a living, working memory system for our town.

We talked about:
✅ Reopening the Depot Museum this spring
✅ Creating hands-on, intergenerational programming
✅ Recording and preserving oral histories from our neighbors
✅ Building partnerships with local schools, businesses, and organizations
✅ Digitizing our archive and bringing it to life in new ways

It’s clear: there’s real energy in this town to remember where we came from—and use that history to build what comes next.

If you want to volunteer, contribute, or just stay in the loop, drop us a message or stop by during one of our upcoming events. We’ve got big plans and room at the table for everyone.

This is how a town remembers who it is—and shapes what it can become.

04/16/2025

Please check out the Pittsfield Community Heart & Soul page for more information!

Pittsfield, Maine Heart and Soul Introduction

12/07/2024

BANGOR- - A visit to your local farmer's market is now longer simply a summer activity. The Bangor Farmer's Market is launching a winter program at the Sea Dog Restaurant

12/07/2024

Oh, we do appreciate that Jennifer Schumpert Murray shares her sights of her EARLY morning walks!

Maybe we should come up with a name for the postings of them as they are becoming a regular feature here. Thoughts for a name?

11/14/2024

Hello everyone! We had a request from one of our members to see if we could crowdsource some information for them. His ask is below; any help you could provide would be appreciated!

"What's the age of my house? (542 North Main St, Pittsfield, ME)

When we bought our house, it was listed as built in 1900, which usually means no one really knows the exact date. Back in Massachusetts, I had experience with 18th- and even some 17th-century homes, but Maine's architecture and construction were new to me. My first guess was a simple, no-frills Gothic Victorian farmhouse, perhaps around 1870. The more I worked on the house, the more I encountered things that did not support my first guess. The first clue was the inner basement door, a clinch nailed, board and batten construction with hand-forged pintal strap hinges. Next, I found a hand-forged shutter pintal. All of the lumber in the house is vertically power-sawn except for the flooring. Circular-sawn lumber became common in the 1840s and 50s. Recently, while restoring the porch on the front of the house, I discovered that it was a late 19th-century addition. Nails in the porch trim are round finish, while the remainder were machine-made square nails. Another anomaly is the hand-split accordion lathing under the plaster walls. Wall studs are two feet on center. The biggest surprise, however, was discovered while rebuilding the porch. Through a hole in the sheathing boards, I could clearly see a 4x8 post with a mortise and tenon in it. Balloon framing had become popular in the 1830s and quickly spread across the country. Labor-intensive post and beam construction would no doubt have come an anachronism after the Civil War. One more clue to the age of the house is the staircase in the center of the house; the handrail and hand-turned balusters were stained to look like mahogany, which might suggest a transitional Empire to Victorian house.

I will no doubt continue to find more clues as I work to restore the house, but I would welcome opinions and advice from those who have more experience with the local architecture. We are located at 542 North Main St., and old photos of the house would also be immensely helpful. Anyone interested in seeing the house can call me at 508-863-9791."

10/17/2023

The Pittsfield Historical Society is looking for a new Secretary. This is someone who would attend (most of) the monthly meetings, take meeting minutes and post those minutes in s timely fashion. We meet on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. at ether the RR Depot Museum or at the Library.
The next meeting of the Pittsfield Historical Society will be Wednesday, October 25, 2023. at 6 p.m. All are welcomed. The meeting will be at the train depot. The meeting typically lasts one hour.

10/12/2023

How were these used and in what year were they used? All info about these would be appreciated.