Prattsville Leaders Seeking Money for Pratt Rock Park

PRATTSVILLE -  The waiting within the waiting has begun for the restoration of Pratt Rock Park in Prattsville where government leaders are seeking more money for the integral project.

Town council members, at a recent meeting, agreed to apply for a $50,000 low interest bridge loan from the Catskill Watershed Corporation to help facilitate the work.

If received, the CWC dollars would allow the community to use a $100,000 matching funds grant previously promised by Senator Michelle Hinchey through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.

Prattsville earlier got a $50,000 grant from the Greene County Legislature on the way to reaching the estimated $200,000 overall cost for the job which will be undertaken in two phases.

Town officials now wait with baited breath for the CWC decision, expected over the next few months, culminating a lengthy and painstaking process involving multiple entities.

Nearly three years have passed since the town board, led by former Pratt Museum director Carolyn Bennett, committed to saving Pratt Rock.

Since then, noted landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh has signed on and most of the needed funds have been secured.

The shared mission is to preserve the Catskill Mountain’s so-called “Mount Rushmore of the East” a 150-year-old monument carved from the sandstone bluffs of a 4-million-year-old Devonian cliff.

Pratt Rock Park, featuring eleven unique stone sculptures, was given to the town in 1861 by its founder Zadock Pratt. The Park was placed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 1993.

“The historic 20-acre Park has long been a popular destination for hiking, picnicking and birdwatching for Catskills’ residents and visitors alike but its iconic stone sculptures have seriously eroded and are in danger of disappearing,” a report from Senator Hinchey states.

“Restoration of the sculptures is the first phase of a full revitalization to include re-terraced park grounds, winding groomed paths, and ornate stone walls and benches.

“Prattsville town supervisor Greg Cross has long advocated for the Park’s renovation, recognizing its extraordinary qualities and significance to the town,’ the Hinchey report states.

“Cross and the town board see the thousands of visitors to the Park each year and know it contributes many benefits for the town’s economy.

“The Park is a rare example of a 19th century public pleasure park with its unique outdoor “museum” exhibiting the handiwork of several itinerant stonecutters.

“These stonecutters artfully carved key emblems of the area’s history, including Zadock Pratt’s profile, his great white horse, Prince; a hemlock tree; Pratt’s tannery; and a memorial to his only son, Colonel George Watson Pratt who died of battle wounds in the Civil War.

“Efforts to restore the popular Catskills park began in 2019 when Bennett, approached the town board with a plan…fund the initial project plan and the Museum’s staff and Board of Directors would do the rest.

“The Town Board voted with a resounding yes,” the report states. “It had long been Bennett’s dream to ask area native and premier landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh to take on the Park project.

“Van Valkenburgh was born in [the neighboring town of] Lexington, and spent many of his early summers at his grandparents’ farm in Prattsville in the shadow of Pratt Rock Park.

“And, as if those connections weren’t enough, Valkenburgh’s great-great grand-uncle, James Van Valkenburgh, had pulled a wounded Colonel George Watson Pratt from the Civil War battlefield at Second Manassas while himself wounded,” the Hinchey report states.

“Michael Van Valkenburgh felt the pull to give back to the town and when asked by Bennett to join the cause, he quickly responded, ‘absolutely. I know that Park like the back of my hand.’

“Van Valkenburgh created the concept plan that now guides the Park’s restoration. And the first element he identified as critical was restoration of the historic stone sculptures.

“The town and museum boards raised $70,000 to commission Integrated Conservation Resources, Inc. to assess the carved stone features within Pratt Rock Park and outline a plan for the restoration work.

“Senator Hinchey, a strong advocate for environmental protection and economic development, recognized the intrinsic value of both in the Pratt Rock Park project” the Hinche report states, delivering the 100 G’s.

“Getting the call from the Senator’s office was fantastic. It will springboard us forward and solidifies the thought that this project is worthy of the efforts to preserve this park for future generations” supervisor Cross said.

If the CWC funds are secured, Phase I would start in the spring of 2024, focusing on improvements to the maintenance and accessibility of the Park.

Those efforts would coordinate with the ongoing conservation process, allowing visitors to learn more about the Park's history and generate excitement about its revitalization.

“Making the Park more accessible is vital for the Park to play a larger part in the Prattsville community,” a study from Van Valkenburgh states.

“The best way to improve the park and attract new visitors is through enhancing the natural assets of its landscape by strategically planting new, native trees and thoughtfully managing the existing flora.

“Renovating the landscape settings for the historic stone landmarks, including the carved benches and tombstone, will provide visitors to connect with the ongoing process of preserving Pratt Rock for years to come, including stabilizing trails, restoring retaining walls, adding log benches and general park upkeep,” Van Valkenburgh states.