Pittsfield Historical Society's
History of Pittsfield

Pittsfield Community Organizations

This page is dedicated to our Organizations photo collection.
Click on thumbnail photos to enlarge.

HELP US! This page is a work in progress. If you know of any organization, or their email address or website that is not listed here, or the history of any organization, contact the historical society with the new information and we'll add it to this list.

American Legion, Burns Knowlton Post 32.This post of the American Legion has approximately 70 members and has the following priorities: community service, providing child welfare, supporting Boys State, assisting with nurse training and providing veterans assistance, notably transportation to the V.A. Hospital at Togus. The post sponsors the Memorial Day Parade and is funded through membership dues, yard sales and a 50/50 raffle. One must be a veteran of military service during a U.S. war to be eligible for membership. The post meets at the Knights of Columbus Hall on the 1st Monday of each month.

Bossov Ballet Theater     www.bossovballet.com website.

Central Maine Egg Festival history. Also, visit the Central Maine Egg Festival's own website

Community Christmas Project. The Pittsfield Community Christmas Project was begun in the early 1980's by a couple who dedicated their lives to helping those in need. The Project began as a collection of Christmas gifts for needy families and has grown to become a year-round source of food, clothing, and necessary items for those down on their fortune in the greater Pittsfield area. The Project is run by a board of directors. In late 1996, the Project was able to relocate from the basement of the founders' home to a permanent and convenient downtown storefront on Connors Avenue by purchasing a tax-acquired property from the Town. Food is collected through a number of community drives; the food bank is open four mornings a week.

Community Watch. A group of about 20 Pittsfield citizens has agreed to conduct a volunteer patrol of downtown streets on Friday and Saturday nights in order to promote a safe atmosphere and sense of security for residents and travelers. The Watch acts as a visible extension of the Pittsfield Police Department (external website), and has been very successful. There has been a tangible decrease in vandalism and other negative behaviors since the Watch began. Community Watch members meet on the first Thursday of the month and new members are desired. All applicant members are first screened by the Pittsfield Police Department.

Daughters of the American Revolution, Elizabeth Pierce Lancy Chapter page, with history, 1938 and 1961 photos.

Driftbusters Snowmobile Club. The Pittsfield Driftbusters have an open membership to anyone interested in snowmobiling. Its purpose is to promote safer snowmobiling and better trails. Current membership consists of 100 families, 5 singles, 5 students and 6-10 businesses from Pittsfield and Burnham. The Club utilizes the former Peltoma Fish and Game Association clubhouse as its headquarters, where meals and rest rooms are available to travelers. The Club maintains the area trail network, organizes rides and contributes substantial funds to the Pine Tree Camp for Handicapped Persons. Relationships with cooperating landowners are good. Funds are raised through dues, a portion of snowmobile registration funds returned via the Town, clubhouse rental fees and sale of lunches. Regular business meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM

Easy Street, Incorporated. Easy Street is a non-profit organization which exists to provide and promote a safe place in the community for artistic expression. The group has a seven member board of directors which meets on the 2nd Monday of the month, and unlimited number of "Friends of Easy Street." A coffee house, at which local musicians of all ages perform, has been the group's most visible activity. The coffee house has had to move to different locations in the region, but as of late 1997, appears to have found a permanent home at the First Congregational Church. Funding for the group comes from coffee house admission, an auction and sale of promotional products. The board welcomes more active community participation and support.

Pittsfield Grange. A powerful influence in the social and economic life of Pittsfield is the Grange. Pittsfield Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, No. 102, received its charter on Feb. 20, 1875. Early meetings were held in hired halls where the rent amounted to a dollar a month. Sometimes meetings were held in the home of a member. In 1904 they built a hall of their own on Easy Street. Grangers help on community projects which benefit the non-Grangers as well as the member and his family. The Pittsfield Grange had a membership of 246 in 1948. The original "P of H 1904" sign (P of H = Patrons of Husbandry) is on permanent display at the Depot House Museum.

Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth. During the development of the 1997 Comprehensive Plan update, guidance staff at Warsaw Middle School initiated the formation of a Pittsfield area (SAD#53) chapter of this nationally-funded effort sponsored by the Search Institute. The overall objective is to foster a healthy community by emphasizing awareness of and program framework around the positive resource that youth represent as individuals and community members. This differs from the traditional outlook on youth as a challenge or even problem to be addressed. The Search Institute model being utilized as a guide for the group stems from an asset-building framework built upon forty internal and external assets that have proven to be reliable indicators for healthy youth development. These assets offer target behaviors and support systems which are likely to result in a well-adjusted human being. External assets include those related to support, empowerment, boundaries/expectations and constructive use of time. Internal assets are organized around the following categories: commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies and positive identity. The initial local core group of approximately 15 students and adults meets monthly with a goal of creating a healthy community for the youth of Pittsfield, Burnham, and Detroit. Its first specific project is to assemble a book of resources for area youth. At this point the group's financial needs have not out-stripped the level of support available through the guidance office.

Knights of Columbus. One of the larger organizations in Pittsfield, the Knights of Columbus (K of C) has approximately 70 members who are active Catholics over the age of 18. The group exists to offer non-profit service to Church, youth, family, and community. The K of C has a hall on Dobson Street, where it meets regularly on the 1st Wednesday of the month. The group holds socials, pot luck dinners, an all-you-can-eat breakfast, and a tootsie-roll campaign to help the handicapped. These fundraisers, together with membership dues, bring in the needed revenues. The K of C is a sponsor of My Brother's Table.

MCI Key Club. Kiwanis sponsors the MCI Key Club, which offers younger people an opportunity to actively serve their community. Eligibility for membership relies upon an average academic standard above "C." There are approximately 20 members in 1997. Activities sponsored by the Club include the Snow Ball, lemonade stand at the Egg Festival, participation in the March of Dimes Walk-a-thon and St. Jude Hospital Bike-a-thon, and serving diners at the Alumni Reunion and Foreign Student Dinner. The group meets bi-monthly on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM.

Pinnacle Ski Club. The Pinnacle Ski Club is a membership-based association whose objectives are to promote skiing and skiing instruction for adults and children, encourage friendship among skiers for the greater enjoyment of all phases of the sport, and to stimulate the solution of common problems such as those dealing with ski programs, techniques, and equipment. Other outdoor activities besides skiing may also be promoted by the Club if desired.

Pittsfield Community Garden Club. The Community Garden Club exists to beautify the Town of Pittsfield and its visible efforts are well-appreciated. Anyone interested in gardening is encouraged to join. There are currently about 20 members who meet once a month in the municipal building, library, or at a member's house. A plant sale is held in May to raise the funds necessary to purchase annuals to plant at the library, Depot House Museum, Stein Park, hospital, and in planters at the municipal building.

Pittsfield Community Youth Center. The Pittsfield Community Youth Center is an informal organization in business to promote baseball and softball for children ages 5-15 from Pittsfield, Detroit and Burnham. By amassing numerous volunteers as coaches, the Youth Center organizes teams, practices, and games in the following games/leagues: T-Ball (ages 5-6), Farm League (ages 7-8), Minor League (ages 9-12), Little League (ages 9-12), Girls' Softball (ages 9-12) and Babe Ruth League (ages 13-15).

Pittsfield Farmers' Market

The Pittsfield Historical Society is a private non-profit organization which receives partial support from the Town to maintain the Depot House Museum, which it manages. The group's purpose is to preserve the history and historical items of the Pittsfield region, and membership is open to anyone who shares that interest. Its activities include sponsoring an open house at the museum and conducting historical research, although keeping up with maintaining the depot and caboose are challenging the Society's small membership. The group relies upon membership dues, donations and fundraisers such as bake sales to support its work. The Society meets monthly at the Depot House. For more information, visit the Pittsfield Historical Society web page at Pittsfield Historical Society. The Society's website is at www.pittsfieldhistoricalsociety.org

Pittsfield Kiwanis. Organized in 1940, Kiwanis is a public service organization which strives to assist the community's children and elderly. It has an open membership, with 25 currently participating, and meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. Kiwanis holds a carnival in conjunction with the Pittsfield Egg Festival, at which most of its fundraising takes place. Other activities include an Easter Egg Hunt and sponsorship of the MCI Key Club (see above). Kiwanis supports scholarships and is perhaps best known for having built and helped to maintain the Town's outdoor swimming pool. Pittsfield Kiwanis, PO Box 254, Pittsfield, ME 04967

Pittsfield Little League page. Photos of teams from 1960 and 1970.

Pittsfield Town Band. William Griffin, director, pictured here with the band in a 1949 photo.

Rebekkahs, 1919 photo.

The RN Club.

The Sebasticook Club. A women's club originated February 14, 1937. The Sebasticook Club offers people from the region a chance to get together, play beano and raise funds to donate to charitable causes such as the Pine Tree Camp, Community Christmas Project, people burned out of their homes and people who are shut-ins. Club members also donate their time to efforts such as the repainting of the Depot House Museum and Caboose. The group meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month from September to June and rotates locations between Newport, Detroit, Burnham and Pittsfield. Currently there are 15 members.

Sebasticook Valley Boys & Girls Club. The Boys & Girls Club is a membership-based organization currently without a permanent home, which is open to youth aged 6-16. An adult board of directors meets on the first Wednesday of the month at the First Congregational Church to organize program activities, which include gymnastics, arts and crafts, roller skating, bowling, open gym and Hometown Video Nite. A supervisor is paid for one evening per week. The Club's activities are funded through membership, donations and fundraising activities. The Town of Pittsfield makes a generous annual donation to the Club, which would benefit from having a home base at a future community center.

Sebasticook Valley Elks Lodge #2713 Of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
2005 photo.

Sebasticook Valley Hospital (SVH) Auxiliary. The Auxiliary is currently a group of about 35 area citizens who volunteer time to raise funds to support the hospital. The dues-supported group holds teas and operates a gift nook at SVH. A soda and snack machine are also managed by the Auxiliary to raise funds. The Auxiliary Board meets monthly, with the membership meeting tri-annually.

Tuesday Club. The Pittsfield Tuesday Club was established in the 1893 as a federated literary club. It is a private, self-perpetuating regional organization which currently has 26 members, most of whom are from Pittsfield. The group meets 13 times per year at the Broken Putter. Activities include supporting the Community Christmas Project and parties at the Sebasticook Valley Health Facility. Some delegates travel to Augusta to participate in the Women's Legislative Council, which hears presentations on both sides of legislation and reports back to delegates.

Veterans of Foreign Wars and Ladies Auxiliary. The VFW has a 40-person membership from the greater Pittsfield area, restricted to those who are veterans of any U.S. foreign war. The primary purpose of the organization is to help the widows and children of veterans. The group built a new hall in 1996, at which it holds its monthly meetings as well as community suppers, teen parties, and dances. The VFW also sponsors a turkey shoot and manages a firing range.

Women's Christian Temperance Union. The WCTU was active in Pittsfield in 1909-1910, when this program was published.