About Pittsfield

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. The Pittsfield Transportation Center on Columbus Avenue just west of North Street (map) is the transportation hub of the Berkshires: the station for Amtrak intercity trains, for Peter Pan and Greyhound intercity buses, and for the regional buses of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA).

For people living in the Berkshires, Pittsfield is the county seat, the town with the largest shopping centers, the most important court houses, and other important services.

For visitors, it offers the Berkshire Museum, the splendid old Colonial Theatre of the Berkshire Theatre Group, the best selection of budget- and medium-priced hotels in the Berkshires. On its outskirts, Hancock Shaker Village pays tribute to the Shakers, a religious sect known for plain living, high thinking, beautiful design and workmanship of everyday objects, and an aversion to sex. Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, had an estate outside Pittsfield where he hosted other 19th-century litterati.

A Bit of History

Founded as Pontoosuck Plantation in 1753, Pittsfield (population 44,000) was later renamed in honor of British Prime Minister William Pitt, who championed the colonists’ cause before the American Revolution.

Water power from the many creeks flowing into the Housatonic River brought commerce and industry to Pittsfield, helping it grow into the largest town in the Berkshires. 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 merged with 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.

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.

Berkshire Museum

Pittsfield's fine art, history and natural science museum, built in 1911, at 30 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...

Barrington Stage Company

Pittsfield's own theater company is the Barrington Stage, presenting classic dramas, musicals, new and experimental works, and youth theater at several venues in the city center, principal of which are the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street at Center Street; and the Boyd-Quinson Stage, 30 Union Street. More...

Hancock Shaker Village

Perhaps the most fascinating of Pittsfield's attractions is at 1843 West Housatonic Street off US Route 20 (map): 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.

Until 1960, the village was home to members of the religious sect named the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, 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; and another at the Shelburne Museum near Burlington VT.)

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 (map).

Herman Melville's Arrowhead Estate

Herman Melville's Arrowhead estate, Pittsfield MA.

The house known as Herman Melville's Arrowhead (1780), 780 Holmes Road, less than four miles (6.5 km) south of Pittsfield, was the author's home from 1850 to 1863, some of the author's most productive writing years: Moby-Dick, Pierre, The Confidence-Man, Israel Potter and other works were written here. More...

Transportation

BRTA Intermodal Transit Center

Coming to the Berkshires by public transportation, you'll probably use Pittsfield's BRTA Intermodal Transit Center, where train, intercity bus and regional bus lines meet.

Transportation by bus, train, taxi and rideshare app.

The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority's Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transit Center (ITC) at 1 Columbus Avenue just west of North Street is the transportation hub of the Berkshires: the station for Amtrak intercity trains, for Peter Pan and Greyhound intercity buses, and for the regional buses of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA).

There's public parking on the street, and in the public parking lot at 55 Summer Street, a block north of the Transit Center.

Where to Stay