Pittsfield Center Historic District
About this property
The Pittsfield Center Historic District encompasses the civic and commercial heart of Pittsfield, New Hampshire. This area is defined by a roughly square bend in the Suncook River, whose power provided an impetus for the development of the town in the 19th century. The dominant feature of the district was the 1827 Joy Cotton Mill, a four-story brick building at the base of Main Street. It was damaged in a fire, and some of its features were reused in the construction of the present building according to a historic sign in front of the building. There are three churches, including the 1863 Gothic Revival St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, and the town office building, a significantly altered 1789 meeting house. The district also includes the main commercial district and some of the surrounding residential areas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Pittsfield was settled in 1770, when John Cram erected a sawmill on the Suncook River and built his house, now part of the Washington House at the central Washington Square. The first meeting house was built in 1789, roughly midway between his house and mill, the route between these points defining what is now Main Street. Taverns were built near the meeting house soon afterward, creating the nucleus of a town center. In the 19th century, the river's water power was harnessed for use by textile mills, resulting in the construction of both mills and mill worker housing. One boarding house, built in 1827 for single women who worked in an early textile mill, is among the oldest buildings of its type in the state. The arrival of the railroad in 1869 spurred another development boom, in which the shoe industry took hold.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Pittsfield Center Historic District
This page lists Pittsfield Center Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Nearby Battles
Questions about this property
When was Pittsfield Center Historic District listed on the National Register?
Pittsfield Center Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 1980.
What type of historic resource is Pittsfield Center Historic District?
Pittsfield Center Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Pittsfield Center Historic District?
The period of significance for Pittsfield Center Historic District is recorded as the listed era.
Can I research the history near Pittsfield Center Historic District?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Pittsfield Center Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Merrimack County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Merrimack County.
Explore MerrimackCounty ›More historic places in New Hampshire
Browse all historic places in New Hampshire.
View New Hampshirehistoric sites ›New Hampshire history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
New Hampshirehistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Pittsfield Center Historic District will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.