Dexter Pratt House
Encyclopedia
Dexter Pratt House is an historic house at 54 Brattle Street
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
The house was built in 1808 and added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973. Dexter Pratt was the village blacksmith that inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's
poem "The Village Blacksmith
". Longfellow published the poem in 1841 as part of Ballads and Other Poems, which also collected "The Wreck of the Hesperus
". The poem proved to be popular. It mentioned a "spreading chestnut tree" where Dexter Pratt worked and, when the actual tree was cut down, the children of Cambridge raised money to have the wood converted into an arm-chair and presented it to Longfellow.
The building is now owned by the Cambridge Center for Adult Education
which also owns the historic William Brattle House
.
Brattle Street (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, called the "King's Highway" or "Tory Row" before the American Revolutionary War, is the site of many buildings of historic interest, including the modernist glass-and-concrete building that housed the Design Research store,and a Georgian mansion where...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
The house was built in 1808 and added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973. Dexter Pratt was the village blacksmith that inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
poem "The Village Blacksmith
The Village Blacksmith
"The Village Blacksmith" is a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, first published in 1841. The poem describes a local blacksmith and his daily life. The blacksmith serves as a role model who balances his job with the role he plays with his family and community...
". Longfellow published the poem in 1841 as part of Ballads and Other Poems, which also collected "The Wreck of the Hesperus
The Wreck of the Hesperus
"The Wreck of the Hesperus" is a dramatic poem by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, first published in Ballads and Other Poems in 1842.-Overview:...
". The poem proved to be popular. It mentioned a "spreading chestnut tree" where Dexter Pratt worked and, when the actual tree was cut down, the children of Cambridge raised money to have the wood converted into an arm-chair and presented it to Longfellow.
The building is now owned by the Cambridge Center for Adult Education
Cambridge Center for Adult Education
The Cambridge Center for Adult Education , a non-profit corporation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been teaching adult education courses at 42 Brattle Street since taking over the building from the Cambridge Social Union in 1938...
which also owns the historic William Brattle House
William Brattle House
The William Brattle House is an historic house at 42 Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is one of the seven Colonial mansions described by historian Samuel Atkins Eliot as making up Tory Row.-History:...
.