Pittsfield, Maine Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Pittsfield, Maine
Town
View of Pittsfield in 1905
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Somerset County
Area
• Total	48.72 sq mi (126.18 km²)
• Land	48.18 sq mi (124.79 km²)
• Water	0.54 sq mi (1.40 km²)
Population (2020)
• Total	3,908
• Density	81/sq mi (31.3/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Website	Town website

Pittsfield is a friendly town in Somerset County, Maine, in the United States. In 2020, about 3,908 people lived there.

Pittsfield is special because it's home to the Maine Central Institute. This is a unique school where some students live on campus. The town also hosts the fun Central Maine Egg Festival every year!

History of Pittsfield
Geography of Pittsfield
Population Information
Notable People from Pittsfield
Images for kids
See also

History of Pittsfield

How Pittsfield Started

The land where Pittsfield is now was once part of something called the Kennebec Purchase. The first family to settle here was Moses Martin and his family in 1794. They came from a nearby town called Norridgewock.

At first, the area was known as Plymouth Gore. In 1815, it became the Plantation of Sebasticook. Then, in 1819, it officially became a town and was named Warsaw, after the city in Poland.

However, the name changed again in 1824 to Pittsfield. This new name honored William Pitts from Boston. He owned a lot of land in Maine after it became an independent state. There was already a town named Pittsfield in Massachusetts, but this one was for Maine!

Growing as a Town

Pittsfield was known for its beautiful fruit orchards. It became an important place for farmers to trade their goods. The Sebasticook River provided strong water power, which was great for building factories.

A gristmill was built to grind grain.
A sawmill was built to cut wood.
Blacksmith shops made metal tools.
A carriage shop built wagons and buggies.

In 1855, the Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad arrived. This helped Pittsfield grow into a small mill town.

Woolen Mills and Changes

In 1869, the first woolen mill opened. This was a factory that made cloth from wool. The Riverside Woolen Company was the first mill in Maine to sell cloth directly to people who would wear it.

A big fire destroyed the downtown area in 1881. But the town quickly rebuilt everything! More factories opened, including woodworking plants and a canning factory. The Waverly Woolen Mill was built in 1891–1892. This company even built 52 homes for its workers to rent. Pittsfield also had the Sebasticook and Pioneer woolen mills.

In 1914, the Waverly and Pioneer mills were sold to the American Woolen Company. Sadly, during the Great Depression in 1934, this company closed. The Pioneer Mill, which was the biggest, kept working until after World War II. But over time, many textile businesses in New England moved to Southern states.

In the 1940s, the Waverly mill became a shoe factory. In the 1950s, the Pioneer mill was used to make doorbells! Pittsfield was even mentioned in the movie Dreamcatcher, which was based on a book by Stephen King.

Geography of Pittsfield

Pittsfield covers about 48.72 square miles (126.18 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 48.18 square miles (124.79 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.54 square miles (1.40 square kilometers), is water.

The town gets its water from the Sebasticook River. Pittsfield is located at about 44° 46' 57" North latitude and 69° 23' 2" West longitude.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	315	—
1830	610	93.7%
1840	951	55.9%
1850	1,166	22.6%
1860	1,495	28.2%
1870	1,813	21.3%
1880	1,909	5.3%
1890	2,503	31.1%
1900	2,891	15.5%
1910	2,891	0.0%
1920	2,700	−6.6%
1930	2,935	8.7%
1940	3,329	13.4%
1950	3,909	17.4%
1960	4,010	2.6%
1970	4,274	6.6%
1980	4,125	−3.5%
1990	4,190	1.6%
2000	4,214	0.6%
2010	4,215	0.0%
2020	3,908	−7.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

The population of Pittsfield has changed over the years. In 1820, only 315 people lived there. By 2010, the population had grown to 4,215 people. In 2020, the population was 3,908.