Pittsfield Historical Society’s
History of Pittsfield

Views of Pittsfield’s Streets

Click on pictures to enlarge.
Main Street. | North Main Street | South Main Street | Streets that are no more
If you are looking for a business or a house on a street,
see the Past Businesses page
or the Historic Houses page.

Central Street looking west from Post Office, 1972 photo.

Crosby Street looking from South Main Street, 1972 photo. Note Friend’s Ford dealership.

Detroit Avenue showing St. Agnes Church, 1920 photo.

Hartland Avenue from corner of Somerset Ave., 1972 photo.

View down Hartland Ave., from old colorized postcard.

Hathorn Street from Central Street, 1972 photo.

Hunnewell Avenue viewed from Main Street, 1972 photo. Notice old Valley Times building (demolished during urban renewal) and Bud’s Supermarket (now Edward’s). In 1890, Mr. William Hunnewell, another wide-awake citizen of this era, donated a bridge and street to the town, both of which bear his name today. The bridge that he gave was replaced in the mid 1900’s by a modern concrete structure.

Winter view down Lancey Street, from old colorized postcard.

Middle Street from Central Street, 1972 photo.

Nichols St., looking from South Main St., 1972 photo.

Park Street as seen from Main Street, 1907 photo. Hunter McMaster Flour House is partially visible on extreme left. Third building down is Union Hall, now site of Pittsfield Town Hall. Building on extreme right is Hunter-McMaster grain and feed store.

Park Street looking downtown from corner of Forest St., 1972 photo.

Park Street looking toward Main Street, viewed from in front of Congregational Church, 1972 photo.

Park Street looking east, viewed from corner of Hathorn Street, 1972 photo. Notice Union Hall on right where Municipal Building now stands.

Peltoma Avenue looking from South Main St., 1972 photo.

This photo is of Pleasant St (now part of Library St.) and Stinson Ave., a birdseye view from an old postcard. Note Grove Hill water tower in distance on the horizon.

Somerset Avenue, looking east from Greely Street, 1972 photo. Notice RR tracks of the old Sebasticook & Moosehead Railroad, built in 1883, torn up in 1983.

Somerset Avenue (unpaved) viewed from corner of Hartland Avenue. Circa 1920’s colorized postcard.

MAIN STREET

VIEWED FROM PARK STREET

Main Street looking south viewed from center of intersection with Park Street, c.1920 photo.

Main Street looking south, viewed from middle of intersecion with Park Street, circa 1890 colorized postcard. Note current Merrill Bank building on right.

View of Main Street looking south viewed from just above current Merrill Bank Building, late 1930’s colorized postcard.

Intersection of Main Street and Park Street viewed from Gulf Station, 2005 photo.

VIEWED FROM RR TRACKS

Main Street looking north from near current location of library. Photo from 1866-1870 era, oldest known photo of Pittsfield. Note Lancey House, beyond wagons, showing porch and early peaked roof design. Later the roof was changed to a hip roof design. Beyond the Lancey House the Union Meeting House is visible; it later became the Universalist Church.

Main Street looking north viewed from just below RR tracks, circa 1890 colorized postcard. Note that Lancey House now has hip roof, allowing windows in the rooms on the third floor.

Main Street looking north from the RR tracks, a decade or so after the previous image. Note wooden building on left in previous image is now brick, the trees beside the Lancey House are larger, and utility poles have been installed.

Main Street looking North viewed from just below RR tracks. Note Lancey House on right, through trees. c.1920.

A 1935 photo of Main Street just after being paved for the first time. The “Public Market” became the A&P. The entire block from Hunnewell Ave. to Easy Street was razed in the 1974 renewal; the Cianbro building and parking lot is in this spot now.

The Perkins and Vickery blocks from circa 1908. Note wooden crosswalk embedded in the gravel street.

Similar view as above, around the 1930’s, from colorized post card from Town of Pittsfield website.

A sleigh on Main Street, showing east side of Main Street. Note how half the street was plowed for wheeled vehicles, half left unplowed for sleighs.

NORTH MAIN STREET

North Main Street from Universalist Church, 1972 photo. Note Shoddy Mill on right and Hubbard’s Garage on left.

North Main Street looking north from in front of Edwards Manufacturing, 1972 photo. The bridges were replaced when the road was paved by the Civil Works Administration in the 1930’s.

North Main Street viewed from in front of Pioneer Mill (Edward’s Company in 2005), showing original North Main Street bridge. Photo circa 1920?

North Main Street viewed from in front of Universalist Church, about 1875.

North Main Street looking north, 1972 photo.

North Main Street looking north, viewed from the old Church Goods mill (the former Riverside School), 1972 photo.

SOUTH MAIN STREET

South Main Street (unpaved) looking south, as viewed from RR tracks, photo circa 1920. Note Library on left. Colorized post card and photo are from the same original.

South Main Street, looking North from MCI, 1972 photo.

South Main St. looking South from Library, 1972 photo.

STREETS THAT ARE NO MORE

Park St. Formerly ran from the intersection at Easy St. to Hartland Ave. Incorporated into Somerset Ave. in 2007 when street names were reorganized for E911.

Forest Ave.—Formerly ran from Hartland Ave. to Central St. along the edge of Hathorne Park. Incorporated into Central St. in 2007 when street names were reorganized for E911.

Weeks Road—From Phillips Corner Road to Hussey Road. Incorporated into Higgins Road in 2007 when street names were reorganized for E911.

Eelweir Road—Once comprised the section of road running from Rte. 100 (South Main St.) to the Sebasticook bridge, whence it became the Mount Road in Burnham. Renamed to Mount Road in 2007 when street names were reorganized for E911.