Pratt House (Essex, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pratt House
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 19 West Ave. Essex, Connecticut |
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| Area | 2.1 acres (0.85 ha) |
| Built | 1701 |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001824 |
| Added to NRHP | August 23, 1985 |
The Pratt House is a special historic house museum located at 19 West Avenue in Essex, Connecticut. It's one of the oldest buildings still standing in Connecticut! Part of the house might even be from the mid-1600s. What's really cool is that the same family, the Pratt family, owned this house for about 250 years. Today, the local historical society takes care of it. They use the house to show what life was like for the Pratt family and in the Essex area long ago. This important building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Contents
Discovering the Pratt House: A Look Inside
The Pratt House is right in the middle of Essex village. You can find it on the north side of West Avenue, not far from the town hall. It's a two-and-a-half-story building made of wood, with a pointy roof and a chimney in the middle. The outside is covered with wooden boards called clapboards.
What Does the House Look Like?
The front of the house isn't perfectly even. The main door is a little off-center. It has fancy fluted (grooved) columns on each side and a decorative frame above it, with a small window that has four glass panes. There are two windows on each side of the front door, and four more windows on the second floor. At the back of the main house, there are two older sections that stick out. The inside of the house has been kept in great condition, looking much like it did many years ago.
The Long History of the Pratt Family Home
The main part of the Pratt House was built around 1732. However, one of the sections at the back is thought to be even older, possibly from the mid-1600s! This very old section was likely moved to this spot in 1701. That's when the middle section of the house was built.
The first builder was William Pratt, who was one of the first people to own land in Essex when it was a new colony. Six generations, or six different groups of his family, lived in this house from 1701 until 1915. After that, it was divided into smaller apartments for people to rent.
The Pratt House Today: A Museum for Everyone
In 1952, the house was given to a group called the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. Then, in 1985, they passed it on to the local historical society in Essex. This society now runs the Pratt House as a museum.
If you want to visit, the society offers tours that last about 30 minutes. During the summer, you can take a tour every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1 PM to 4 PM. It's a great way to step back in time and learn about early American life!
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