About the Zadock Pratt Museum

The Zadock Pratt Museum (Prattsville, NY) is located in the western Catskills mountaintop region—an area with a storied history of emerging times and ideas including the birthplace of color photography and the site of the world’s oldest fossils. With the life and legacy of Zadock Pratt at its core, the museum is dedicated to excavating local history, community, and culture through special and permanent exhibits, conservation, education, archives, and public programming.

Vision & Mission

Through our service, space, and programming, we create equitable futures where every being can thrive. We are building a transformative educational, historic, and cultural hub in the spirit of Zadock Pratt—a shining star on the mountaintop that champions land, people, communities, and ideas. Our mission is to excavate, elevate, and share the rich histories and cultures of Prattsville and the greater tri-county Catskills region. With the life and legacy of Zadock Pratt at our core, we aim to:

  • Be a critical beacon of local research and education

  • Serve and preserve through community-minded programming, events, and encounters that tell expansive stories

  • Contextualize and cultivate ideas that matter 

Our History

Built in 1828 and redesigned in the 1850’s, the building is the 19th century Greek Revival home of visionary Congressman, banker, soldier, industrial revolution innovator, and town founder Zadock Pratt. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986. The Pratt Homestead, now the Zadock Pratt Museum was built in 1828 and restored as a museum in 1976.

The Museum has been in existence as a museum since 1959, functioning in a variety of settings until the Zadock Pratt Homestead located on Main Street, Prattsville, was acquired in 1962 by a group of dedicated local residents. Operated by local volunteers, including the then Prattsville Chamber of Commerce, this group re-organized in 1974 to restore the Pratt homestead.

With support from the town of Prattsville and the O’Connor Foundation, the building was restored, collections moved, and the museum opened on July 4, 1976. The Museum’s first full-time professional director was hired shortly after the restoration.

It was restored to its approximate 1856 appearance. The Museum contains approximately 5,000 sq. ft. dedicated to period room settings, exhibit areas, a research room and a caretaker’s apartment. A modern replica of Pratt’s carriage house was built to house meeting, store and office facilities. It is also used by other community groups for meeting purposes.

Board of Directors

Carolyn Bennett, President 

Carolyn Bennett has served as Prattsville Town Historian since 2005. She was Director of the Zadock Pratt Museum from 1995-2000 and 2011-2022. A former editor of Catskill Tri–County Historical Views and Catskill Mountain Region Guide, and the area newspapers, the Windham Journal (1982-1990) and the Mountain Eagle (1990-1995), she is the author of numerous published articles about Zadock Pratt, Prattsville, and the art and history of the Northern Catskills. She has taught Literature and Creative Writing at Columbia-Greene Community College and served as Marketing Director for the Catskill Mountain Foundation. She fell in love with the book industry at an early age, studying book design and letterpress printing at the Center for Book Arts in NYC, working as Book Production Supervisor for Macmillan Book Clubs, establishing her own small press (Gull Books (1970-1980), and later owning and operating an independent bookstore, Terra Books, in Lexington NY.

Frank Marquit, Vice President

A descendent of Zadock Pratt, Frank has had a lifelong interest in the Museum. His mother, Millie Harkness, a founding member of the Museum, was a long-time town clerk, in fact, the longest-serving town clerk in New York State. Mille, Frank, and his brother lived in the Museum when the Museum was a boarding house, in Frank’s youth. Born and raised in Prattsville, Frank was a member of the volunteer Fire Department, before he left town to strike out on his own. He has an abiding interest in Prattsville history. A long-time member and supporter, he also served as a volunteer tour guide in the past. His experience with non-profits is wide and deep. In the mid-1990s he formed a successful non-profit, National Artists for Mental Health. Currently, he is a life coach and manager of an antique and jewelry shop. His desire to be a member of the Board of Directors grows out of his love for Prattsville, his deep family roots in the Town, his knowledge of town and local history, and his desire to do good for his birth town.

Carole Cangelosi, Treasurer

Carole Cangolisi moved to Prattsville in 1985 with her husband Frank. Later they adopted their son Matt and became a family.  She joined the Prattsville rescue squad in 1986 and was a member for over 20 years and has also been very dedicated to the Prattsville Hose Company for the past 36 years. She has served as the Prattsville tax collector since 2010.

Cangelosi joined the ZPM museum board in 2023 and has enjoyed every minute of it.

Tony Bluestone, Secretary

Tony Bluestone (b. Englewood, New Jersey) was raised amongst activists in which he learned life is at its best when we show up for each other. Tony loves his friends and community, and his work is interested in how we can create and form space for different types of lived existence. He believes these communally shared realities are what allow him to exist as a gender fluid trans masculine person. Trans is both a verb and a noun in his life, and his work seeks to transcend accepted reality, which includes but is not limited to gender, living/dying, communication, and travel. Bluestone received an MFA from Hunter College and has been a resident at The Shandanken Project in Shandanken, NY; The Basil Alakazi Residency in Detroit, MI; DNA Residency in Provincetown, MA; and The Prattsville Art Center in Prattsville, NY. He has had solo shows at Freight & Volume Gallery in NYC; the Elaine L Jacob Gallery at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI; and Larrie Gallery, NYC; as well as a two-person show at La Mama Gallery, NYC. He has an upcoming solo show at Azulejo Gallery in Seoul, Korea. He has had work in group shows at Rachel Uffner, The Academy of Arts and Letters, the New School, Platform Project Space, White Columns, and has work in an upcoming show at Night Gallery. He has also performed written works at Storm King Art Center. In 2017, he was awarded the John Koch Award by the Academy of Arts and Letters. Bluestone currently teaches painting at Cooper Union and Hunter College.

Theresa Whitworth

Bio To Come

Joan Morales

Bio To Come

Charlotte Hallberg

Bio To Come