PRATT HOUSE TOUR

JUNE 3, 1998

The best place to commence is outside, at the front of the building. Indicate the "unbalanced" nature of this structure: Chimney and door are not centered, and the windows are not symmetrical, as in a "Georgian" design. This is the beauty, in a manner of speaking, of PRATT HOUSE. It is a building that has evolved over the years, reflecting the changing culture of Essex. The second floor was probably put on 1790/1800, while the back, "gambrel" section was built in 1700, by John Pratt, Jr. In addition. he started the main, or front section, in 1732. He was the grandson of the "founder" of Essex (or Potapoug, as it was known until 1852), LT. William Pratt. LT. Pratt died in 1678 and was originally from England.

LT. Pratt, trekked from Cambridge, MA. to Hartford with Reverend Hooker in 1635, fought in the Pequot War (was 3rd. in command), and moved to the Saybrook Colony area in 1645. He surveyed the "wilds" north of Saybrook Point, and Potapoug was formally laid out (geographically) in 1648. Many of his children, grandchildren, etc. stayed in the area, and soon Pratt was the dominant name locally. The Pratt family carried on the longest continuously operating family business in the country, starting in 1678 in what is now Old Saybrook(on Pratt Street, now Pennywise Lane) to the Second World War. They were Blacksmiths, a profession which encompassed 8 generations.

As you enter the front door, point out the absence of a staircase and a small front entry as in most "colonial" houses. This attests to the spasmodic additions put on PRATT HOUSE. The only mantel in PRATT HOUSE is in the front parlor, and it matches the casing on the front door. Both (not the door) were probably installed when the second floor was done. The color of the trim is not original, just look at the end of the mantel to see what was first used. The chestnut floors in this room are probably of 1732 vintage, and the furniture, except the mandolin, came from Mr./Mrs. Samuel Griswold who owned the house from 1912-1952. They were antique collectors from Branford, CT. During this period, PRATT HOUSE was a rental property, and in the early 1920s, part of the main floor was a Doctor's office and examining room. The Griswolds willed the property to The Society For The Preservation Of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), who operated PRATT HOUSE as a museum until 1985, when it was transferred to The Essex Historical Society.

The two paintings in the parlor are of Louisa Sloan Pratt, painted by her brother, Junius R. Sloan, a well known portrait painter who later concentrated on the Hudson River Valley School of landscapes, and Norman Hyde Pratt, painted by his cousin, Robert Pratt. Louisa and Norman were married 12/15/1854. The painting in a bedroom on the second floor is of Druscilla Luce Sloan, also done by Junius Sloan, who was her son.

The other room on the front served as a bedroom, and has paintings of Isaiah Pratt and Jabez Pratt. Isaiah gave the funds to start and operate Pratt High School (current Town Hall), and lived on Main Street, where the Post Office is now located. His house was moved to PRATT Street in 1922 and still stands there. Jabez owned the "Alms house" in town, and resided on River Road, when not in New York City on shipping business. His painting is circa 1856. The stenciled floor was obviously done (or done over) after the Civil Was (note the Industrial Revolution grate), and also note how the "vernacular" house layout juts the fireplace "mass" into the room.

The "Hall", "Keeping Room", or "Great Room", has a floor that is 75 years or less old. The fireplace is stone, and undoubtedly used rock from nearby "Stone-pit" Hill, where the Pratt family owned some quarries. Also, point out the location of the staircase, which is just more proof of the second floor being added at a later date. The collection of "Redware" and pewter is very noteworthy. "Redware", incidentally, was one of the first domestic ceramics.

The SE bedroom on the second floor is very formal, and is representative of a different period, specifically the Federal. The corner cupboard is said to have been part of the original PRATT HOUSE. If this was 1732, one might well wonder what this "Palladian" inspired design was doing in Essex at that time when it had not even hit Boston. However, when you recognize this floor was added around 1800, the placement makes sense. The Ship master's kit of Captain Isaiah Pratt is in this room, and was a gift of Meade Minnegrode, who last dwelt in the brick "cape" across the street. Mr. Minnegrode is best remembered for writing the lyrics to the "Whiffenpoof" song, while an undergraduate at Yale.

The other front room is similar in design to the room directly below it, with the chimney once again "jutting in" to the room. One of the oldest pieces of furniture in PRATT HOUSE is here, the Jacobean style chest in the SW corner. One can see how the fireplace hearth has been repaired here.

The back area is an enigma to historians: should we go back to a certain period, or maintain the house as we got it, showing changes right up to that point. This latter alternative was the choice of SPNEA. This was an "apartment" house after 1915, and it can readily be seen how the second floor was divided into three such areas. In fact, PRATT HOUSE, which never had closets, had two put in up here at that time. The attic used to be reached by a rope through a trap door (still visible in the garret), but a stairway was also installed during this "tenement" period. Once this upper area was as open as the room below it. The fireplace that heated it is closed off, but was on the wall where the "Courting Mirrors" now hang.

The Herb garden is kept in shape by Society members, and the barn was built in the late 1980s, to replace one that was literally falling down. There is a legend that the rear section of PRATT HOUSE was once the home of LT. William Pratt, and stood on West Avenue, where the "Osage Inn" building is. It was presumed to have been moved here in 1700. Whether this is true or not is not known, but LT. Pratt did have some kind of a homestead in that area. The house that stands there currently, was built by his youngest son, Nathaniel, and his grandson, Hezekiah.