Pittsfield

History

The area was part of the Kennebec Purchase. First called Plymouth Gore, it was settled in 1794 by Moses Martin and his family from Norridgewock. In 1815, the town was organized as the Plantation of Sebasticook, but was incorporated on June 18, 1819, as Warsaw after Warsaw, Poland. In 1824, the name was changed to Pittsfield after William Pitts of Boston, a large landowner after Maine's independence as there was a Pittsfield incorporated already in Massachusetts. Pittsfield was noted for fine orchards, and became an agricultural trade center. Water power from the Sebasticook River attracted industry, and a gristmill and sawmill were built at the falls. Blacksmith shops and a carriage shop were established. In 1855, the Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad arrived, and Pittsfield developed into a small mill town. In 1869, the first woolen mill was established. The Riverside Woolen Company was the first mill in the state to sell cloth direct from loom to wearer. Fire destroyed the downtown in 1881, but it was soon rebuilt. Woodworking plants and a canning factory were established. The Waverly Woolen Mill was built in 1891–1892, together with 52 dwellings the company rented to workers. Pittsfield was also home to the Sebasticook and the Pioneer woolen mills. In 1914, the Waverly and the Pioneer mills were sold to the American Woolen Company, which would close in 1934 during the Great Depression. The Pioneer Mill, the largest, remained in operation until after World War II, but as the New England textile business moved to Southern states. The Waverly mill was converted into a shoe factory in the 1940s, with the Pioneer mill converted to manufacture doorbells in the 1950s. Pittsfield was mentioned in the movie Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. File:Pittsfield, ME Looking…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Pittsfield is drained by the Sebasticook River. The town is located at approximately latitude 44° 46' 57" North; longitude 69° 23' 2" West.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  4,195
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,146
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,131
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,837
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,764
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,692
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  2,376
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,943

Largest nearby schools

• Warsaw Middle School
  Middle · Pittsfield · 272 students · 10.9:1 ratio
• Somerset Elementary School
  Elementary · Hartland · 240 students · 12:1 ratio
• Vickery School
  Elementary · Pittsfield · 227 students · 9.5:1 ratio
• Canaan Elementary School
  Elementary · Canaan · 186 students · 8.9:1 ratio
• Manson Park School
  Elementary · Pittsfield · 96 students · 16:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2025-08-26
  4 km SW of Vinalhaven, Maine
• M 2.8 — 2024-07-28
  6 km W of Gardiner, Maine
• M 2.5 — 2023-08-08
  6 km N of Turner, Maine
• M 3.3 — 2023-01-14
  7 km ESE of Dedham, Maine
• M 2.5 — 2022-04-23
  5 km SSW of Sebec, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2018-01-17
  3 km E of Richmond, Maine