Enoch Pratt
Encyclopedia
Enoch Pratt was an American
businessman in Baltimore, Maryland
, a Unitarian
, and a philanthropist
.
to Isaac and Naomi (née Keith) Pratt, and educated at the Bridgewater Academy in neighboring Bridgewater
.
Enoch Pratt clerked in a Boston
hardware
firm before moving to Baltimore in 1831 to launch his own wholesale hardware business on South Charles Street
.
Pratt married Maria Louisa Hyde (1818–1913), daughter of Samuel G. and Catherine Hyde, on August 1, 1837.
He became a capitalist and a friend of Andrew Carnegie. He learned ironmaking as a trade. He arrived in Baltimore in 1831 with $150, and went on to make his fortune. His involvement in corporations include the E. Pratt & Brothers of 23-25 S. Charles St., Baltimore; Maryland Steamboat Co., Director; Susquehanna Canal Co.
, 27 years; Vice-President of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
; and director for three other railroads. He was a contemporary and associate of philanthropist Thomas Kelso
. They served together on the board of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad company. He built and donated a public library system to the City of Baltimore.
In 1851 Pratt and his partner invested in western Maryland coal mine
s and iron
yards in the Baltimore neighborhood of Canton. They made their own merchandise, thereby ending their dependence on northern manufacturers.
From 1860 until his death, he was the president of the National Farmers' and Planters' Bank of Baltimore. Pratt also became president of the Baltimore Clearing House and the Maryland Bankers' Association, in addition to establishing a role in several transportation companies.
Pratt and his wife had no children. Pratt gave much of his time and wealth to Baltimore’s cultural and charitable institutions. He served as a trustee of the Peabody Institute
as well as treasurer and chairman of its library committee. He founded the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children at Cheltenham, and the Maryland School for the Deaf and Dumb
at Frederick
. In 1865, he donated a free school and public library to his hometown in Massachusetts.
In January 1882 construction began of an imposing white marble
structure on Baltimore's Mulberry Street that opened five years later as the Enoch Pratt Free Circulating Library
. The main branch of the library is now located on Cathedral Street in downtown Baltimore. After building a free central library and four branch libraries, he granted the city $833,333.31 to assure that the library that he gave the city would always be free to all citizens. Today twenty-three branches of the library serve patrons throughout Baltimore.
Pratt, upon his death in 1896 at his summer residence Tivoli
, stipulated that his bequest be used to complete construction of the Sheppard Asylum, enlarge the facility to house 200 additional patients, serve the indigent, and that the name of the institution be changed to The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital
. All of his conditions were met and The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital remains in operation today as the hospital component of the behavioral health provider, Sheppard Pratt Health System.
He is buried at the Greenmount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman in Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
, and a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Biography
Born in North Middleborough, MassachusettsMiddleborough, Massachusetts
Middleborough is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,117 as of 2008.For geographic and demographic information on the village of Middleborough Center, please see the article Middleborough Center, Massachusetts....
to Isaac and Naomi (née Keith) Pratt, and educated at the Bridgewater Academy in neighboring Bridgewater
Bridgewater, Massachusetts
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Bridgewater, please see the article Bridgewater , Massachusetts.The Town of Bridgewater is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, 28 miles south of Boston. At the 2000 Census, the population was 25,185...
.
Enoch Pratt clerked in a Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
firm before moving to Baltimore in 1831 to launch his own wholesale hardware business on South Charles Street
Maryland Route 139
Maryland Route 139, known locally for most of its existence as North Charles Street, runs through Baltimore City and through the Towson area of Baltimore County. On the north end it terminates at a traffic circle with Bellona Avenue near Interstate 695 and at the south end it terminates in Federal...
.
Pratt married Maria Louisa Hyde (1818–1913), daughter of Samuel G. and Catherine Hyde, on August 1, 1837.
He became a capitalist and a friend of Andrew Carnegie. He learned ironmaking as a trade. He arrived in Baltimore in 1831 with $150, and went on to make his fortune. His involvement in corporations include the E. Pratt & Brothers of 23-25 S. Charles St., Baltimore; Maryland Steamboat Co., Director; Susquehanna Canal Co.
Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal
The Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal between Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and Havre de Grace, Maryland, at the head of Chesapeake Bay, provided an interstate shipping alternative to 19th-century arks, rafts, and boats plying the difficult waters of the lower Susquehanna River...
, 27 years; Vice-President of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad
The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad was the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania southwest to Baltimore, Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
; and director for three other railroads. He was a contemporary and associate of philanthropist Thomas Kelso
Thomas Kelso
Thomas Kelso was born in Clonis, Ireland, August 28, 1784. He died July 26, 1878 at his home on East Baltimore St. in Baltimore, Maryland.-Life:...
. They served together on the board of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad company. He built and donated a public library system to the City of Baltimore.
In 1851 Pratt and his partner invested in western Maryland coal mine
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
s and iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
yards in the Baltimore neighborhood of Canton. They made their own merchandise, thereby ending their dependence on northern manufacturers.
From 1860 until his death, he was the president of the National Farmers' and Planters' Bank of Baltimore. Pratt also became president of the Baltimore Clearing House and the Maryland Bankers' Association, in addition to establishing a role in several transportation companies.
Pratt and his wife had no children. Pratt gave much of his time and wealth to Baltimore’s cultural and charitable institutions. He served as a trustee of the Peabody Institute
Peabody Institute
The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a renowned conservatory and preparatory school located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the corner of Charles and Monument Streets at Mount Vernon Place.-History:...
as well as treasurer and chairman of its library committee. He founded the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children at Cheltenham, and the Maryland School for the Deaf and Dumb
Maryland School for the Deaf
The Maryland School for the Deaf is a school that provides free public education to Deaf and hard-of-hearing Maryland residents, from birth to age 18.-History:...
at Frederick
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
. In 1865, he donated a free school and public library to his hometown in Massachusetts.
In January 1882 construction began of an imposing white marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
structure on Baltimore's Mulberry Street that opened five years later as the Enoch Pratt Free Circulating Library
Enoch Pratt Free Library
The Enoch Pratt Free Library, located in Baltimore, Maryland, is one of the oldest free public libraries in the United States. Established in 1882 after a grant from philanthropist Enoch Pratt, the library now includes twenty-two branches in Baltimore, plus the Central Library...
. The main branch of the library is now located on Cathedral Street in downtown Baltimore. After building a free central library and four branch libraries, he granted the city $833,333.31 to assure that the library that he gave the city would always be free to all citizens. Today twenty-three branches of the library serve patrons throughout Baltimore.
Pratt, upon his death in 1896 at his summer residence Tivoli
Tivoli (Baltimore, Maryland)
Tivoli is a historic home located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a random stone ashlar masonry structure built about 1855 and consisting of a three-story, symmetrical Italianate main block, with a contemporary two-story, "T"-shaped service wing. It contains the administrative and...
, stipulated that his bequest be used to complete construction of the Sheppard Asylum, enlarge the facility to house 200 additional patients, serve the indigent, and that the name of the institution be changed to The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital
The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital
The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, known to many simply as Sheppard Pratt, is a psychiatric hospital located in Towson, a northern suburb of Baltimore, Maryland...
. All of his conditions were met and The Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital remains in operation today as the hospital component of the behavioral health provider, Sheppard Pratt Health System.
He is buried at the Greenmount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.