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08/29/2017 03:50 PMLooking for a way to fit in some family fun locally and enjoy the tail end of summer? The Essex Historical Society’s Pratt House at 19 West Avenue in Essex is open through the end of September before closing for the winter season. The final day to visit is Sunday, Sept. 24.
“It’s one of the oldest structures in Essex Village,” said Essex Historical Society Director Melissa Josefiak. “Sections of it date back to around 1701 when it was first constructed. Owned by one of the founding families of Essex Village, the Pratts, the house grew as the family and the smithy grew at its current location. It reflects the town’s history.”
The Pratt House was owned by nine generations of blacksmiths from the family over a span of 266 years, and the smithy was commemorated on a U.S. Postal Service First Day envelope as America’s oldest continually run family business in 1938. In 1952, the house was given to Historic New England (then the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities), until 1986 when Historic New England gave the property and many of the contents to the Essex Historical Society.
“It tells a wealth of stories. It’s furnished with 18th and 19th century period antiques that show the status of a working-class family at the time,” said Josefiak. “For about 30 years, there was a tenant in the back wing, but Essex Historical Society is now there and we’ve left it sort of empty so people can see how different it was. It gives us room to talk about beyond the Pratt family.”
There are free, guided, drop-in, on-demand tours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between 1 and 4 p.m. They last about 45 minutes and can be customized to the interests of the group, though they generally cover the house, the reproduction barn including textile manufacturing equipment, the historic kitchen garden, the outhouse, and the fields. Tours are conducted by volunteers—and the Essex Historical Society is always looking for more of them.
“No experience is needed. It is a great experience for lifelong learners, and we have people of all ages volunteer with us, whether adults who have a passion for history and want to do something fun with it, or teenagers or students who want to work on their public speaking skills,” said Josefiak.
Think you won’t make it to Pratt House before it closes for the season? There will be two special events through the end of the year where the doors will be open again before next June. The historic home will be open and decorated for the season on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 24 and 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for guided tours.
This year it will also be part of the Holiday House Tour run by the Child & Family Agency of Northeastern Connecticut. The tour features highly styled private houses, and Essex hosts every other year. The Holiday House Tour is on Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“I know, Congregationalists didn’t celebrate Christmas, but it’s quite festive and beautiful,” said Josefiak. “It’s Essex’s only historic house museum. It’s the only way you’ll see how people used to live.”
The Pratt House is open Friday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. until Sept. 24. For more information about the historic house, future events, or becoming a volunteer, call 860-767-0681, visit www.essexhistory.org, or email ehs@essexhistory.org.