Agents for the Cotton Mill lived in this house during the 19th century. James A. Treat's nephew, E.P. Sanderson, one of Pittsfield's most generous benefactors, was born here on February 5, 1860. Sanderson attended local schools and later founded the enormously successful E.P. Sanderson Steel Co. of Cambridge, Mass. With his son, Robert, he ran the company for the next 18 years. Upon his death in 1930, Sanderson placed an unusual stipulation in his will which resulted in the Town of Pittsfield inheriting the bulk of his fortune in 1972. Today the Sanderson Trust Fund distributes large sums annually to worthy local projects.