Pratt, Dr. Caleb P. House
28 School St
1830
Architectural Style
Greek Revival
Significance
Architecture
Use Type
Single Family Dwelling House
Neighborhood
Bridgewater Town Center
Massachusetts Historical Commission Report
Architectural Significance
This unpretentious, frame dwelling echoes, on a smaller, more domestic scale, the Greek Revival architecture of Bridgewater public buildings erected in the 1840s, such as the town hall (1843) and the First Parish Church (Unitarian; 1845). The house rises two stories to a pedimented attic. In the center of the pediments are lunette windbws characteristic of the Federal style. Its main block has a side hall plan; a two-story ell and addition (probably late 19th century) are located in the rear. The three-bay main facade has a front door flanked by narrow, multipane sidelights and enclosed by a small, covered porch. The ground-floor windows are cornice headed. The house and its landscaping provide a glimpse of domestic life in mid 19th-century Bridgewater's "center village."
Historical Significance
The early owners of 28 School Street were Nathan Washburn and Almarine Howard. Apparently it was built at the same time as #21 across the street (c. 1830). It was the residence of town doctors for nearly 125 years. In 1843 Dr. Caleb Pratt purchased the property from Abram Washburn. Dr. Pratt, a graduate of Amherst College (1832) and Dartmouth Medical College, initially practiced in Hanover, Massachusetts. Exemplifying "the best traits of the good physician," he was also elected to the state legislature. He died August 25, 1862. From the 1870s to the early 1900s, Dr. Edward Sawyer owned the ' property. For many years, #28 was the home of Dr. Alfred F. Hunt. Born in 1875, Dr. Hunt was educated at Brown University (1899) and Harvard Medical School (1907), In addition to his duties as a physician, he was chairman of Bridgewater's board of health and served on the school committee for 35 years. The school next door was renamed in his honor after his death in May 1963.