The City of North Adams is sited in the valleys created by the confluence
of the north and south branches of the Hoosac River. It is an industrial
community with narrow twisting streets that climb steep hills. The river
valleys were known to be subject to flooding, so no large farming community
was developed in the area, but the water power of the rivers was available
for industry.
In 1760, the Commonwealth sold the area to three men if they would develop
it. They did…with lumber mills exporting high quality pine boards, grist
mills, blacksmith shop, fulling mill, cut nail makers, brickyards and
textile mills. Many settlers from Rhode Island with textile experience in
power looms moved to the town, aiding in the creation of its industrial
economy. Development, however, was slow because the town was cut off from
the eastern portion of the state by the Hoosac Mountain Range and hampered
by a lack of capital. In the late 1820′s the first cotton print mill was
established and in 1846 the first rail line to Pittsfield was opened.
Blast furnaces and shoes were manufactured in town and the Hoosac Tunnel,
direct rail line between North Adams and Fitchburg, was begun in 1851 and
completed in 1875 using the city as the headquarters for the tunnel
operations.
The Civil War stimulated the shoe and textile operations and handsome Greek
Revival, Second Empire, and Italianate homes remain as testimony to the
fortunes that were made. The Blackinton Mansion, an outstanding example of
Second Empire design, is now the city library. The growth of the mills led
to development of the city as a regional commercial center in the
Berkshires. Residential neighborhoods began climbing the hills about 1850
and the city is now known for its decorated slate roofs and towers.
Mill owners built a large number of multi-family houses for their workers,
who were mainly immigrant French Canadians, Italians and Irish. By the
later 19th century, shoes and boots had grown to be more significant to
North Adam’s economy than textiles. North Adams State College was
established in 1894 and Sprague Electrical Works moved to town in 1929.
North Adams is more diversified in modern times and much less of an
industrial community, with a major effort underway to create the largest
Museum of Modern Art in the country on a site in the community.
of the north and south branches of the Hoosac River. It is an industrial
community with narrow twisting streets that climb steep hills. The river
valleys were known to be subject to flooding, so no large farming community
was developed in the area, but the water power of the rivers was available
for industry.
In 1760, the Commonwealth sold the area to three men if they would develop
it. They did…with lumber mills exporting high quality pine boards, grist
mills, blacksmith shop, fulling mill, cut nail makers, brickyards and
textile mills. Many settlers from Rhode Island with textile experience in
power looms moved to the town, aiding in the creation of its industrial
economy. Development, however, was slow because the town was cut off from
the eastern portion of the state by the Hoosac Mountain Range and hampered
by a lack of capital. In the late 1820′s the first cotton print mill was
established and in 1846 the first rail line to Pittsfield was opened.
Blast furnaces and shoes were manufactured in town and the Hoosac Tunnel,
direct rail line between North Adams and Fitchburg, was begun in 1851 and
completed in 1875 using the city as the headquarters for the tunnel
operations.
The Civil War stimulated the shoe and textile operations and handsome Greek
Revival, Second Empire, and Italianate homes remain as testimony to the
fortunes that were made. The Blackinton Mansion, an outstanding example of
Second Empire design, is now the city library. The growth of the mills led
to development of the city as a regional commercial center in the
Berkshires. Residential neighborhoods began climbing the hills about 1850
and the city is now known for its decorated slate roofs and towers.
Mill owners built a large number of multi-family houses for their workers,
who were mainly immigrant French Canadians, Italians and Irish. By the
later 19th century, shoes and boots had grown to be more significant to
North Adam’s economy than textiles. North Adams State College was
established in 1894 and Sprague Electrical Works moved to town in 1929.
North Adams is more diversified in modern times and much less of an
industrial community, with a major effort underway to create the largest
Museum of Modern Art in the country on a site in the community.
