Pittsfield, Illinois
| Pittsfield, Illinois | |
| City | |
 Pike County Courthouse
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| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| State |  Illinois |
| County | Pike |
| Elevation | 732 ft (223 m) |
| Coordinates | 39°36′35″N 90°48′30″W / 39.60972°N 90.80833°WCoordinates: 39°36′35″N 90°48′30″W / 39.60972°N 90.80833°W |
| Area | 4.97 sq mi (13 km2) |
| - land | 4.58 sq mi (12 km2) |
| - water | 0.39 sq mi (1 km2) |
| Population | 4,211 (2000) |
| Density | 1,178.2/sq mi (455/km2) |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 62363 |
| Area code | 217 |
   Location of Pittsfield within Illinois
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| Website: http://www.pittsfieldil.org/ | |
Pittsfield is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,576 at the 2010 census, an increase from 4,211 in 2000.
Pittsfield was initially settled by settlers from New England. These settlers were of old Yankee stock, that is to say they were descended from the English Puritans who had founded and settled New England in the 1600s. A group of settlers from Pittsfield, Massachusetts headed west and settled this region of Illinois in 1820. When they arrived the area was a virgin wilderness, they constructed farms, roads and government buildings. Pittsfield was home to John Hay, Lincoln's personal secretary, ambassador to England under President William McKinley, later Secretary of State for Theodore Roosevelt and creator of the Open Door Policy. As county seat, the town was one of the various places in central Illinois where Abraham Lincoln practiced law as part of the circuit court, working on 34 cases between 1839 and 1852. One local newspaper, now known as the Pike Press, was then owned by another of Lincoln's future secretaries, John Nicolay, and featured an editorial containing one of the first known suggestions of Lincoln as the Republican nominee for the presidency.
Pittsfield is the self-proclaimed "Pork Capital" of the Midwest, owing to the long history of pork production in the region, which fed into the large meat-packing industry of Chicago. Though agriculture in the region is no longer so dependent on pork, the town still hosts a yearly "Pig Days" festival.
The local high school football team, the Saukees, still holds the record for longest winning streak in the state. Starting with their season opening 6-0 win over North Greene in 1966, the Pittsfield Saukees reeled off 64 consecutive wins, which included 15 straight shutouts between 1969 and 1971. The streak extended all the way through to the second game of the 1973 season, when Pittsfield dropped a 12-0 decision to Winchester, Illinois.
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Wikipedia