Susan Ackerman, President
Karyl Turner, Historian
Karyl Turner, Historian
The Pittsfield Historical Society came into being during the late 1990's when a group of residents gathered to discuss and document Pittsfield's long and colorful history and to acquaint its inhabitants with the townships founding and development through the years and of the many families that called it home. The meetings with their dedicated participants culminated in the creation of an extensive publication in 2001 titled, The Town of Pittsfield; A History. It is a unique book that continues today to provide a wealth of historical information about the town. On the following pages, we will endeavor to provide the reader with some of these stories and an insight into Pittsfield's history from its beginnings. Please know that the complete publication is still available from the Historical Society.
The Pittsfield Historical Society
An Introduction
By Susan Ackerman & Karyl Turner
An Introduction
By Susan Ackerman & Karyl Turner
The Pittsfield Historical Society is pleased to present a series of articles to acquaint local residents with the history of our township. Written by Frances Chapin, former historian, they were featured in the 1997 New Berlin Gazette to celebrate the Bi-Centennial of Pittsfield.
The Pittsfield Historical Society began meeting in the late 1900’s to discuss writing about our history which resulted in a 404 page book published in 2001. The Town of Pittsfield; A History won the Otsego County 2002 Historic Preservation Award and is still available for $25.00
Another project that the society completed was receiving the Silver Lake School House donated by the Gregory family in 2000 which was moved to its current location on the Pittsfield Fire Department property. Many renovations have taken place to restore it to its original condition. Donated documents and artifacts are housed in the school building and volunteers are currently cataloging these items.
The May Pole in front of the school house was donated by the Doug Sargent family. The Pittsfield Fire Department added the playground equipment beside their pavilion making the area perfect for event gatherings.
In the past, the society along with town officials, presented “Pittsfield Days” and were in the process of reviving this event when the pandemic arrived. Hopefully, we can resume these plans in the near future.
Our next project will be to place a New York State Historical Sign on the town property signifying the location of the last remaining school house in Pittsfield. Residents interested in the Pittsfield Society are encouraged to call President Susan Ackerman or Historian Karyl Turner.
The Pittsfield Historical Society began meeting in the late 1900’s to discuss writing about our history which resulted in a 404 page book published in 2001. The Town of Pittsfield; A History won the Otsego County 2002 Historic Preservation Award and is still available for $25.00
Another project that the society completed was receiving the Silver Lake School House donated by the Gregory family in 2000 which was moved to its current location on the Pittsfield Fire Department property. Many renovations have taken place to restore it to its original condition. Donated documents and artifacts are housed in the school building and volunteers are currently cataloging these items.
The May Pole in front of the school house was donated by the Doug Sargent family. The Pittsfield Fire Department added the playground equipment beside their pavilion making the area perfect for event gatherings.
In the past, the society along with town officials, presented “Pittsfield Days” and were in the process of reviving this event when the pandemic arrived. Hopefully, we can resume these plans in the near future.
Our next project will be to place a New York State Historical Sign on the town property signifying the location of the last remaining school house in Pittsfield. Residents interested in the Pittsfield Society are encouraged to call President Susan Ackerman or Historian Karyl Turner.
Pittsfield history through historical images and interesting articles appearing in The Gazette
(Click a link below to view)