Pittsfield Youth Baseball/Softball is raffling four (4) front-row
seats to a Red Sox vs. Yankees game. Tickets are available at Bell
Brothers (1 Depot St., Pittsfield) and are $5 each or five (5) for
$20. All proceeds support quality baseball and softball
experiences for the boys and girls of Pittsfield.
The game is Saturday, August 2nd at 4:05. The Drawing is June
26th.
Pittsfield’s Greatest Estate: The Fairview Property
Part III: White’s Pond
Submitted By Larry Berkson
The boat house erected by William H. White
at the far end of the pond.
White’s Pond after the road around it had been built.
White’s Pond just after it was completed.
Note that at the time no road had been built around the
pond.
In addition to purchasing Maplehurst in 1899, William White also
purchased a large piece of land adjacent to, but across from, what
was then called Berry Road. Today, the highway is called Route #107
or Catamount Road. Immediately he developed plans to build a dam and
dike on the property in order to create a 27 acre pond. This would
result in the single largest physical change to Pittsfield’s
landscape in its history.
Work commenced on the dam in August when several loads of stone
arrived and a large gang of workmen began preparing the site. Work
proceeded through September and October, and by mid-November the dam
was completed. Thirty to 40 workmen were employed with a payroll of
about $600 per week. The top of the 260-foot granite-faced dam was
constructed 10 feet above the original flow of the brook. The rocks
cleared for the area were used as a foundation for the driveway that
once surrounded the pond.
At the time Catamount Street ended shortly after Oneida Street. To
get to the top of Catamount Mountain a person had to travel over
what was then called Berry Road. It ran from the end of Main Street
at Pittsfield Common in a line between the old canning factory and
the old gas house, past the south side of Clark’s Pond, now the town
pool, and connected with Catamount Road less than an eighth of a
mile above where the dam is located on White’s Pond. Almost all
traces of the road are now obliterated.
The community saw an advantage in having Catamount Street connect
with Berry Road and a special town meeting was called on June 23,
1899 to consider the question. It was unanimously voted to fill in
the low area behind the dam and make a roadway. By November the bulk
of the work was nearly complete. That year the town spent $552.20 on
the project. In 1901 it spent $313.52 and in 1903 another $666.91.
Mr. White also built a large dike on the northwest side of the pond
to prevent water from flowing into the swamp near Wolf Meadow on
Tilton Hill Road. This earthen and granite topped dike is 100 feet
long and three and one-half feet high.
After the dam was constructed Mr. White erected a large boat house.
It was located just behind what is commonly known as Nuns Point. By
August of 1900 he had purchased a “handsome naphtha launch” built in
St. Joseph’s, Missouri which was delivered by railroad to the
Pittsfield Depot. Along the shoreline were bathing houses, and
several shelters for swans and other waterfowl. He expended
thousands of dollars and converted a large area of pasture land and
woods around the pond into one of the largest and best apple
orchards in New England.
Apparently one of the reasons Mr. White built the pond was to
provide recreation for his ill daughter, Maria Theresa. She likely
enjoyed boating, swimming and fishing there but only for a short
time. Unfortunately, she passed away on May 12, 1902, not quite 35
years of age. At the time, the well-liked young lady was visiting an
aunt on River Road. Her remains were taken to her father’s house in
Lowell, Massachusetts where funeral services were held with the
Reverend George E. Lovejoy of the Pittsfield Congregational Church
officiating.
The pond and resort remained in the family until 1930 when it was
sold at auction to John W. Pearson allegedly acting on behalf of
ex-governor John Winant. The deed was actually held by R. E.
Williams until 1937. After a couple of brief transfers, the property
was purchased by John L. Keenan whose widow sold it in 1945 after
his death to the Franciscan Fathers. While they owned it permission
was granted annually for the Burnham and Morrill Company, owners of
the canning factory, to draw water from the pond for use in its
canning operation.
Subsequently the property was sold to another Catholic order.
Finally, in 1986 the Sisters of Holy Cross sold the pond and all the
land north of Route #107 (Catamount Road) to Richard Foss.
He built a road around much of the pond, installed water, sewer, and
underground electrical, telephone and cable television lines. An
owner’s association was established to deal with the common areas of
the development including the dam, surrounding land, and other
strips of land. Each property owner was given equal rights to the
common areas and the Association could adopt and amend the residency
regulations enumerated in the Association Covenants.
About this time there was a drastic drop in the real estate market
and sale of the house lots all but dried up. Income on the property
was negligible, the mortgage interest and other expenses were
prohibitively high. Mr. Foss tried to renegotiate the interest rate
but the bank was steadfast and thus Mr. Foss simply turned the
property over to the bank, First Capital Bank of Concord. No
foreclosure was involved.
On July 20, 1991 an auction was held at the pond. Thirty-six lake
and lake access house lots averaging three-quarters of an acre were
available. Many were sold and those that remained were sold during
the next couple of years. Houses were built on the lots through the
next decade and today the pond is surrounded by very nice homes.
Letter To The Editor
Dear Editor,
The Winsunvale Shores Homeowners Association would like to thank
those who came to our St. Patrick’s Dinner and silent auction held
at the First Congregational Church this past Saturday, the 14th of
March.
We are thankful for the support of the church and the volunteers who
helped make this a great success. The donations of items for the
auction as well as the support for the dinner contributed to the
making of a wonderful fundraising event.
We raised just under $3,000 all of which will go to the Fund to Save
White’s Pond. We still have more to work ahead of us but with the
support of this community, we will be successful.
One note, a special thank you goes to Johnson Supply
and the First Congregational Church who helped with the dinner.
Thank you all again for your support and if you are interested in
helping us, more information, or donating to the fund please email
[email protected] or call Donna and
Dave Parker at 435-5598.
Sincerely,
The Board of Directors
Winsunvale Shores Home Owners Association
Letter To The Editor
Dear Pittsfield Resident,
First and foremost, thanks to those of you who turned out for the
Election and Town Meeting! If you were unable to make it on
Saturday, there are a few things I would like to share with you…
The past couple of years we have not been able to afford putting
money into our capital reserve (savings) accounts in order to
adequately fund the necessary replacement of capital assets. The
good news to you (the taxpayer) is, through past year surpluses we
are able to get those accounts up to speed (per our Capital
Improvement Plan) without raising additional taxes to do so! There
seemed to be confusion at the meeting as to definitions, procedures
and certain processes, for which I offer the following…
• Town board and committee meetings are public; I would encourage
your attendance and participation throughout the year.
• I would encourage you to attend the annual public hearing(s)
on the proposed budget(s).
• The Annual Town Report is the Board of Selectman’s accountability
to you. It contains every bit of information with regard to the
fiscal reporting of your local government. It is usually available
two to three weeks prior to Town Meeting, giving you ample time to
review, ask questions and prepare yourself, including contact names
and telephone numbers for departments and officials.
As for the estimated tax increase of .50/1,000 over 2013 for the
operating budget, the following is a recap of Pittsfield’s tax rate
over the past four years…
In 2010 the tax rate was 30.66.
In 2011 the tax rate was 30.66.
In 2012 the tax rate was 30.44.
In 2013 the tax rate was 30.78.
All in all, I’m thankful that expenditures have been reduced,
savings accounts have been replenished and the tax rate has remained
reasonably stable!
Always to the glory of my Lord,
Linda Small
Pittsfield Fire Department Service News
February 2014
During the month of February 50 calls for emergency service were
received. Fire and EMS personnel responded to: 23 Medical
emergencies, 4 Structure fires, 2 Chimney fires, 5 Motor Vehicle
collisions, 6 Fire Alarm activations, 3 Service calls, 3 Good intent
calls, 3 Power line down calls and 1 Carbon monoxide incident. 2 of
the calls were overlapping calls. 6 Mutual aid responses were
provided to other communities and 11 were received from other
communities. 3 Permits to Kindle a Fire were written.
Training topics for the month of February were: Fire service
Jeopardy
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Fire
Department or to learn more about the Department, please stop by the
station or call 435-6807.
SAFETY REMINDER: Daylight savings is not just about changing time
on your clock, it’s time to change your Smoke and CO detector
batteries.
Letter To The Editor
To the good citizens of Pittsfield,
I spent yesterday, voting day, at the Town Hall. I went to sell
eggs, support the candidates, and thank the voting staff for their
service. I realize without them we could not open the polls and keep
everything straight.
I was among 283 voters (small crowd) with widely held views, but all
had one goal, to do right by our town. I have seen my fellow
countrymen and townspeople get another year older. It’s going fast.
Thursday night. Just got back from the School District Meeting.
Moderator Ammy Ramsey ran a great meeting. It took 26 minutes to
give the school what it needed, short term and long term; and to
thank the students, teachers, the leadership, for their excellence
this past year.
Roland Charron was right, “You can’t get enjoyment out of
mediocrity. It only comes with doing superior work.”
Saturday. Just got back from Town Meeting. The 100 or so residents
supported the Selectmen’s budget, saving money for fire, police, and
road equipment.
Moderator Steve Adams ran a great meeting. Police Chief Bob Wharem
answered my questions. The selectmen seemed really on top of things,
from cutting the budget by $125,000 two years ago, to ending up with
a surplus last year.
The total tax for the Town and School are not going up, although we
are spending some reserves.
Hats off to everyone involved. Does Pittsfield have problems?
Sure.
But real leadership is not one of them.
Dan Schroth Piermarocchi
Loudon Center Freewill Baptist Church
Caregiver’s Support group meets every 2nd and 4th Monday’s at 6 pm
at the church. Call Rev. Overall for more information at
603-875-5822
Bible study every other Saturday at 8 am. Potluck breakfast. Call
for dates/location. Rev. Overall 603-875-5822
Please note that there will be no potluck supper in April due to the
normal date falling on Easter weekend.
Please join us for a Good Friday service at the church on Friday,
April 18, 2014. Watch for the time coming soon.
Please join us and spread the word about our Community Resource Fair
on Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 10 am-2 pm. There will be an
activities table for the kids. There will be lunch items available
for a nominal fee. Come find out what resources are available for
the citizens of Loudon and all the surrounding towns.
Please join us on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am. All are welcome to
join us as we worship the Lord!
[email protected]
Pittsfield Community Crime Watch
The Pittsfield Community Crime watch had its latest meeting on
February 24th.
We continued discussing the organization of a Citizen Patrol
Program. This Program would further the crime watch by giving our
members some additional training so they might be able to assist
local police with various tasks. Part of this training would be to
start having members take part in ride-alongs with officers to get a
first hand look at what they are doing are a regular basis. We also
hope that this additional time spent will help solidify our
relationships both individually and as an organization with our
local Police officials.
Our next meeting is scheduled for March 31st at 6:30PM at Jitters
Cafe. We welcome any who is interested in helping to make our town a
better a place.
Deepest, Most Luxurious Massage, Now Available In Pittsfield
Nathalie Snyder, owner of Lighthouse Therapeutic Massage, is happy
to announce that she has become certified in Ashiatsu Oriental bar
Therapy, otherwise known as the deepest, most luxurious massage on
the earth.
This unique deep pressure work is performed with soothing strokes
that are applied to the body using foot pressure to elongate the
muscles and spine, release toxins at a very high rate, and relieve
tight muscles. Ashiatsu Practicioners use soft, clean feet while
holding on to two parallel bars above the table for balance and
support. The result is deeper pressure without pain or discomfort.
This massage modality is ideal for those who desire a gratifying and
results-driven treatment, those who have chronic lower and upper
back pain, mild scoliosis, lordosis or sciatica, physically fit
individuals, larger clients, athletes, and those who can never get
enough pressure in a massage.
For more informations or to book your treatment, call
603-608-2411 or go to
www.nathaliesnyer.massagetherapy.com
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