Pittsfield Historical Society’s
History of Pittsfield

Pittsfield’s Railroad Depot Building

The Depot was built by Maine Central Railroad in 1886. Today the Pittsfield Railroad Depot building serves as Pittsfield’s Depot House Museum. It is owned by the Town of Pittsfield and is overseen by the Pittsfield Historical Society.

The stained glass windows were installed in June, 1977, by Mr. Chet Madore, and they came from the old Maine Central RR Station in Wilton, Me.

Also that same year the Depot played host to the last plant sale by the Antheneum Club before th Depot became a Saturday YMCA program center.

The Depot House Museum is open by appointment by contacting Tom Brown.

More about the history of the depot can be found on the Historical Society’s website here.
Take a Virtual Tour of the Museum.

A list of railroading history websites can be found here.


(Click on pictures below to enlarge.)

The Maine Central Railroad Passenger Depot in it’s heyday in 1907, from an old newspaper photograph.


Dept c.1913

The Depot (same photo as above, close up). Notice the different placement of the doors and the telegraph office than exists today. During a renovation in the early 1920s the layout of the building was rearranged to its current configuration.


The Railway Express shed with the Going Hathorn barn in the background. The Depot is out of the frame to the right.

Railway Express shed work, 1944.

The Depot in 1944. Work being done on Railway Express building in foreground. Depot can be seen in background, with the rear and the tower of the Lancey House in the distance.

Date unknown.

Date unknown, circa 1940s.

Depot in 1955

The Depot in 1955, with the railway Express shed at the far left. The Going Hathorn barn towers in the background.

View of the Depot from Library Street in the early 1960’s. The Lancey House Hotel is in the background and the Railway Express Agency building in the foreground.

Depot circa 1970.

Depot circa 1970.

Another view circa 1970.

Another view circa 1970.

The Depot as seen from the Middle Street in a 1972 photo.

By 1974, the Depot was sorely in need of repair.

This newspaper photo shows restoration work being performed in 1977.

The YMCA was housed here in 1982.

The Depot House Museum as it appeared in 2002.

The Depot getting a new roof in 2012.


Original version: 4-Dec-05.

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