Nearly twenty five years later, the museum is now a 24,000 square foot building full of the rich history of Pratt County and its early day pioneers, along with displays that take one into the late 1900's. Warren Taylor, stepson of Blanche Fincham-Taylor, and past president of the Historical Society, announced 'And, so I dedicate this museum in memory of Edward and Emma Fincham, Pratt County pioneers.' David McCullough was a historian and Pulitzer Prize winner who died earlier this year (August 7, 2022) at age eighty-nine.

On January 22, 1984, even though it was only partially finished, the museum officially opened with the celebration of Pratt's centennial. In June 1981, the Society purchased the building and began the task of making it into a museum for all to enjoy. Ninnescah in Pratt, went out of business. McCullough tells the story through five major characters: Cutler and Putnam Cutlers son Ephraim and two other men, one a carpenter turned architect, and the. During this time, the Independent Lumber Company at 208 S. It became necessary to begin looking for a larger building, after only a few years in this location.īlanche Fincham-Taylor bequeathed the Society half interest in four quarters of land, with instructions that the proceeds from the sale of the land be used to acquire a new building for the museum, in memory of her parents.Īfter the sale, by auction, in April of 1980, the hunt began for a building to be converted into a museum. After much renovation, they finally opened in 1975. Agent: Mort Janklow, Janklow Nesbit Associates.In 1973 the Society was able to purchase the building at 112 N. While some readers may be put off by the near-omission of the native people’s perspective, those seeking a pro-colonial history will find this is a fascinating and well-written look at the Cutler families and the Americanizing of Ohio.

The swiftly moving narrative also shines light on the territory’s consistent antislavery position beginning with the 1787 Northwest Territory Ordinance and leading to the first black vote in 1802.

Manasseh Cutler, who in the late 18th century ventured into the Northwest. Settler leaders Rufus Putnam and Manasseh Cutler veered between Eastern political maneuvering for approval (including that of George Washington) for private purchase of the land they wanted and surviving the pioneer trials of wildlife, starvation, and violence between settlers and native Americans (which is treated as a minor subplot). In the book, McCullough tells the story of a group of New Englanders, led by The Rev. He follows members of a few optimistic, well-connected families whose impact on the region spanned generations, admiringly portraying their efforts to create a new England on the frontier. Popular historian McCullough ( 1776) uses his well-crafted writing style and thorough research to highlight the evolution of the “Ohio territory” (now Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin) from late-18th-century settlement to well-regarded American cities (Marietta, Cincinnati) by the 1860s.

The pioneers by david mccullough