Pittsfield, Massachusetts Guide
Founded as Pontoosuck Plantation in 1753, Pittsfield was later renamed in honor of British Prime Minister William Pitt, who championed the colonists’ cause before the American Revolution.
South Street and North
Street
(US Route 7) in Pittsfield MA.
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the largest city in the Berkshire Hills (population 45,000), is the governmental, commercial and transportation center of Berkshire County.
Located 136 miles (219 km) west of Boston, 40 miles southeast of Albany NY, and 151 miles (243 km) north of New York City (map), it is easily reached by interstate highways, train and bus. More...
For people living in the Berkshires, Pittsfield is the county seat, the town with the largest shopping centers, the most important court houses, the Amtrak train station and regional bus service, and other important services.
For visitors, it offers the Berkshire Museum, the splendid old Colonial Theaterand newer Berkshire Theater Group, the best selection of budget- and medium-priced hotels in the Berkshires and, on its outskirts, Hancock Shaker Village.
Pittsfield has an interesting history. Water power from the many creeks flowing into the Housatonic River brought commerce and industry, helping Pittsfield to grow into the largest town in the Berkshire Hills.
The Merino sheep brought from Spain in 1807 provided the raw material to make Pittsfield the center of woolen manufacturing in the United States.
In 1891 Pittsfield electrical entrepreneur William Stanley produced the first electric transformer, giving birth to a company later to be known as General Electric.
As with so many New England towns, changing trade and commerce patterns took away many of Pittsfield's sources of wealth later in the 20th century, so the city redefined itself as the commercial and cultural center of the Berkshires, although the large SABIC Innovative Plastics factory on the east side of the city still provides many jobs.
The historical contrast between Pittsfield, a typical New England town of creative, hard-working, innovative, striving commercial men and women, and the retiring, thrifty, artistic, religious, abstemious folk of Hancock Shaker Village is striking. More....
Transportation
Car, bus and train will all take you directly to Pittsfield MA. Plane is less convenient.
The Transportation Center in Pittsfield MA.
Pittsfield's Transportation Center on Columbus Avenue just west of North Street (map) is the station for Amtrak intercity trains, for Peter Panand other intercity buses, and for the regional buses of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority(BRTA).
A large multi-level parking garage is located just across Columbus Avenue from the Center.
Car
Follow the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) to Lee, exit and follow MA Route 8/US Route 20 north to Pittsfield. From Williamstown, follow US Route 7 south. See below for driving distances.
Intercity Bus
Peter Pan Bus has daily routes between New York City and Williamstown MA stopping at Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox and Pittsfield MA; and between Albany NY and Springfield MA stopping at the same Berkshire towns. Springfield has bus connections to Worcester, Boston, Hyannis (Cape Cod MA) and Providence RI. More...
Regional Bus
Local buses run by the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority connect Berkshire County towns and resorts with one another. The most useful routes for you are probably:
Route 1: Pittsfield—North Adams
Route 2: Pittsfield—Lee
Route 3: Pittsfield—Williamstown
Route 21: Pittsfield, Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Housatonic, Great Barrington
Train
Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited express between Boston MA and Albany-Rensselaer NY stops at the Pittsfield Transportation Center (map), but train tickets are not sold here! You must make a reservation in advance to board the train; you can then buy your ticket on the train.
There are more frequent trains between Montreal QC and New York City, but they stop only at Albany-Rensselaer NY, not in Pittsfield. More...
If you arrive by train in Pittsfield, you can take a local bus (see above) or taxi to Lenox or to other Berkshire towns.
Plane
The nearest airports with regular service are Albany International Airport at Albany NY and Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks CT (north of Hartford). Boston's Logan International Airport is 140 miles (225 km) east of Pittsfield, a 2.5-hour drive or 3-hour and 45-minute Amtrak train trip.
Distances from Pittsfield MA
Albany NY: 40 miles (64 km) W, 1 hour
Boston MA: 138 miles (222 km) E, 2.75 hours
Lee MA: 12 miles (19 km) SE, 25 minutes
LenoxMA: 7.7 miles (12 km) S, 15 minutes
North Adams MA: 21 miles (34 km) N, 36 minutes
New York City: 151 miles (243 km) S, 3.25 hours
Williamstown MA: 21 miles (34 km) N, 40 minutes
What to See & Do
The major tourist attraction in Pittsfield is Hancock Shaker Village, on US 20 west of town.
Herman
Melville's Arrowhead, Pittsfield MA.
Berkshire Museum
Pittsfield's fine art, history and natural science museum, built in 1911, on South Street in the city center near the Colonial Theatre is great to visit on any day, but especially that rainy day when the children want something interesting to do. More...
Colonial Theatre & The Garage
The fine, historic theater (1903) on South Street hosts a variety of musical, theater and cinema events as part of the Berkshire Theatre Group. More...
Barrington Stage Company
Pittsfield's own theater company is the Barrington Stage, presenting classic dramas, musicals, new and experimental works, and youth theater on three stages in the city center just off North Street. More...
Herman Melville's Arrowhead
The house known as Arrowhead (1780) was the home of Herman Melville from 1850 to 1863, some of the author's most productive writing years: Moby-Dick, Pierre, The Confidence-Man, Israel Potter and other works. More...
Hancock Shaker Village
Perhaps the most interesting of Pittsfield's attractions is actually outside the town in tiny Hancock MA: the Hancock Shaker Village. This is New England's most prominent and elaborate settlement of the Shakers, those devout people who lived lives of piety, kindliness, mutual support and hard work.
The great round barn at
Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield MA.
Hancock Shaker Village (tel 413-443-0188), on US 20 near Pittsfield MA (map), is one of the most fascinating sights in the Berkshire Hills.
Until 1960, the village was home to members of a religious sect nicknamed the Shakers, noted for their quiet, simple lives, hard work, and quality handicrafts. These good people treated even daily tasks as an art. They made such beautiful, honest things that Shaker designs are still admired and copied.
Twenty of the original Shaker buildings at Hancock have been restored, furnished with artifacts of Shaker life, and staffed with men and women who can explain and demonstrate the customs of the Shaker life to you.
Prime of place goes to the famous Shaker round barn, a large cylinder of carefully-laid stone beautiful in its design, workmanship and efficiency. (There's a similar Shaker round barn, a full-size copy of the Hancock original, at Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich MA on Cape Cod.)
Hancock Shaker Village is open May through October, 9:30 am to 5 pm daily; 10 am to 3 pm in April and November.
To find it, drive north from West Stockbridge 9 miles along MA 41, then west on US 20 to the outskirts of Pittsfield MA and Hancock Shaker Village.
Hancock Shaker Village
1843 W. Housatonic Street (map)
Pittsfield MA 01201
info@hancockshakervillage.org
Tel: 413-443-0188, 800-817-1137
fax: 413-447-9357
State Parks & Forests
Pittsfield is surrounded by state forests and parks: Mount Greylock State Reservation to the north, October Mountain State Forest to the south, Wahconah Falls State Park to the east, and Pittsfield State Forest to the west. Get into nature! More...
Baseball Started in Pittsfield!
In 1791, the village recorded a by-law against the playing of "baseball" near the meetinghouse (church), the earliest reference ever to the all-American game. Today baseball is still played by local teams in Pittsfield, warmed by the memory.
More Information...
Discover Pittsfield has a small office in the Pittsfield Transportation Center on Columbus Avenue (map). More...
There's also the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce:
Berkshire Chamber of Commerce
info@berkshirechamber.com
Tel: 413-499-4000
Fax: 413-447-9641
The Town of Pittsfield's website also has information.