Tillotson Osceola Mill: 703 West Housatonic St.
This location has a history of continuous use as a factory or business site since 1768. The first water powered sawmill in Pittsfield was said to have been built there. Later, on this site were mills for grinding plaster of Paris and a grist mill. In 1865 Otis Tillotson bought the site and founded the Osceola Woolen Mill which would remain under the Tillotson name for 66 years.
By 1904 the Tillotson Mill Village would include 140 acres, a spur to the Boston and Albany Railroad, a school, 25 homes for mill workers, a stop on the Pittsfield Electric Street Railway and the portion of land that would eventually become Osceola Park. In later years, the Lichtman Tannery, Shaeffer-Eaton, and the current Nash building and Blue Que would occupy the site.
The Mills of Pittsfield 