About Pratt Rock
Pratt Rock, known locally as the “Mount Rushmore of the East,” was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Built between 1842 and 1862, the Rock was originally designed to memorialize Pratt’s life. The carvings on the Rock depict Zadock Pratt, his son George, a horse, a hemlock tree, the tannery, the Pratt coat of arms, a wreath with the names of two of Pratt’s children, and an arm raising a hammer. The monument became a memorial dedicated to George after George died in the Civil War in 1862. The Pratt Rock Park, an early 19th-century pleasure park, also included an early use of Far Eastern terraced gardening influenced by Pratt’s visit to Korea in the late 1830s.
Pratt Rock Restoration
In May 2019 the Town of Prattsville approved $27,700 to restore the Pratt Rock Park and make it more accessible to the public. Internationally renowned landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh was invited to present a concept plan for the park restoration at the Town Board meeting in October last year. The plan, which was enthusiastically received, re-envisions the park as a contemporary 21st-century “pleasure park” with enough restoration elements of Pratt’s original park to preserve its historic significance.
The Museum works closely with the Town of Prattsville and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates on this important restoration project. We need $70,000 to complete Phase I, cleaning and restoration of the historic rock sculptures.