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United States Vermont  Rutland   Mount Holly

Brief History
Gov. Thomas Chittenden granted a charter to Pittsfield on June 29, 1781, but it took another 12 years before the town officially organized. The first settlers, Daniel and Joseph Bowe, arrived in 1786, raising a home near the southern border. At that first town meeting, residents permitted mill owner Charles Goodrich to name the town. He decided to call it after his previous residence, Pittsfield, Mass.

Pittsfield's economy thrived because of its two primary natural resources - water and lumber. Both the Tweed and White Rivers run through town. By 1840, water powered a gristmill, three sawmills, a tannery and one fulling mill. But timber proved to be Pittsfield's greatest asset. Starting in the 1860s until 1920, lumber fed the economy.

Like so many other smaller Rutland County towns, Pittsfield's greatest population occurred in the 19th century. In 1840, 615 people lived in town. By 1950, the population had dropped to 225 and the 2010 Census counted 546 residents.

Town Histories

 * History of Mount Holly, Vermont, Carroll R. Tarbell, 1987. Find a library where book is held.
 * The Building of a Vermont Town, A History of Mount Holly--From the Beginnings to 1866

Vital Records
FamilySearch Historical Records Collection has Vermont birth, death, and marriage records online.

Probate Records
The probate district for Mount Holly is Rutland. Rutland Probate Court 83 Center Street Rutland, VT 05701 (802) 775-0114

Maps
1854 Rutland County, Pittsfield map

Cemeteries
The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Pittsfield. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Rutland County, website at this link.


 * Parmenter Cemetery
 * Village Cemetery

Churches
1. Pittsfield Federated United    Rural Route 100    Pittsfield, VT 05762‎    Phone: (802) 746-8698

Town Records
Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1732-2005, can be found on FamilySerach (browse only images) at this link.

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Mount Holly Town Clerks Office. These include Town and vital records, 1792-1907, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1995.

Pittsfield Town Clerk 40 Village Green PO Box 556 Pittsfield, VT 05762

Phone: (802) 746-8170 Email: townofpittsfield@myfairpoint.net Website:http://www.pittsfieldvt.org/townclerk.php

Newspapers
Rutland Herald online at this link.

Libraries and Historical Societies
Mount Holly Town Library 26 Maple Hill Road Belmont, Vermont 05730 Phone: (802) 259-3707 Email: mthollylibrary@gmail.com Website: http://www.mounthollyvt.org/library/

Mount Holly Community Historical Museum P.O. Box 17 Belmont, Vermont 05730 Email: mounthollymuseum@gmail.com Website: http://www.mounthollyvtmuseum.org/introduction.htm