Day 48 Jason Clapp

The founder of the Clapp family came
from England as early as 1630 and set-
tled in the eastern part of the State near
Boston and many of his descendants still
live there. Jason Clapp was born in Northampton, in
1783, and came to Pittsfield in 1802 and
became foreman in the carriage factory
of Lemuel Pomeroy with whom he re-
mained until 1809. In that year he pur-
chased all the land extending from West
street north to what is now the property
of the Boston & Albany Railroad and
now included in the present location of
Clapp avenue, the West block, the Bland
building, the Jones foundry and other ad-
joining buildings and here established the
Jason Clapp carriage works which was
one of the early important industries of
Pittsfield. He also built and occupied
the large Clapp homestead on the south
side of West street until the time of his
death in 1868, when for a few years it
was occupied by Phinihas Allen, Jr., who
was a son of the founder of the 'Pitts-
field Sun.' This property was purchased by
Jason Clapp in the early years of the
nineteenth century,
Posted By: Administrator - 02-17-2011
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