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302
PITTSFIEED.
Merrimack County. Pittsfield
is one of the growing towns of the
county, and its future prospects
are very flattering. The surface
is uneven, and, in some portions,
rocky; but the soil is very fertile,
producing excellent crops of wheat,
corn, &c. But one other town in
the county raises as many bushels
of wheat, and but two sell as
many gallons of milk. There are
many fine farms under a high state
of cultivation, and many wealthy
farmers in Pittsfield.
Rivers and Ponds. Suncook
River passes through "fflis town in
a southerly direction, affording
many fine water privileges,
several of which are not improv-
ed. The new railroad facilities
will, doubtless, cause the utilizing
of all the surplus water power be-
fore many years. Berry’s and
Wild Goose ponds are the princi-
pal bodies of water.
Mountain. “ Catamount Moun-
tain” extends across the south-east
part of the town. It has an eleva-
tion of 1,450 feet above the level
of the ocean, which can be dis-
tinctly seen from its summit, in a
clear day. Berry’s Pond is on this
mountain.
Minerals <6c. Black tourma-
line and magnetic iron are found
in a few localities; peat bogs are
numerous, and, when reclaimed,
produce heavy crops of grass. A
short distance north-east from the
village, is a spring impregnated
with sulphur.
Village. In a valley on the Sun-
cook river is situated the neat and
flourishing village of Pittsfield.
Since the introduction of the rail-
road, it has increased in business
and population very rapidly. Since
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1870, there have been established,
three large shoe manufactories,
employing 325 hands, and annual-
ly producing 500,000 pairs of wom-
en’s boots and shoes valued at
$550,000. There have also been
erected many business buildings
and dwelling houses, with every
prospect that what has already
been done is but a foretaste of its
future business operations. There
are in the village, four church ed-
ifices, an academy, town hall, two
banks, about twenty stores, of va-
rious kinds, one hotel, numerous
offices, of various professions,
three large shoe manufactories,
one cotton manufactory, grist-
mill, saw mill, and many other
mechanical shops, and about
two hundred dwelling houses.
A disastrous fire occurred here in
the fall of 1872, but the people are
alive to such an emergency, and
it will soon be rebuilt with more
expensive structures, adding beau-
ty and renewed life to the village.
Pittsfield holds out-great induce-
ments for manufactures to locate
in it.
Employments. The inhabitants
are largely engaged in manufac-
turing and mercantile trade,
though the products of the soil are
valuable. About 600,000 pairs of
women’s boots and shoes are man-
ufactured annually, and over 2,000,
000, yards of cotton cloth, 7,000
shingles, 500,000 feet of boards and
dimension timber, and 9,000 shoe
boxes are annually produced.
There is a planing and turning
mill, and several other small man-
ufactories. The Pittsfield Manu-
facturing Company enlarged their
mill, in the summer of 1873, to the
capacity of manufacturing fifty
per cent, more goods. |
