The Story Behind the Pratt Mausoleum in Forest Lawn Cemetery

By Doug Marrin

Amid the historic graves of Forest Lawn Cemetery in Dexter stands a solitary mausoleum, a sentinel that has watched over those interred in the sacred ground for more than one hundred years. The name above the door reads, “Pratt.Hays.Pratt.” Like many other long-standing families in the area, the Pratts were one of Dexter’s early settlers who helped shape the village and surrounding community into what it is today.

Dexter resident Lois Pratt-Mekas is writing a book on her family’s history in the Dexter area, Vignettes of Little Miss Pratt. Lois has provided us with a glimpse into the lives of Dexter’s civic ancestors, the Pratts.

“The Dexter Pratts began in 1835 in New York when Reubin and Charity Pratt packed their belongings and one-year-old son, John, in the wagon, and the horses moved them from New York to the new village of Kalamazoo in the Michigan Territory,” says Lois. “The young family didn’t stay long and relocated to the Village of Dexter. They were drawn back to New York six years later, where young John worked as a ‘canal boy’ driving mules that pulled barges along the Erie Canal. However, seven years later, they were back in southeast Michigan, in Lima Township.”

In 1862, twenty-eight-year-old John purchased the farm in Lima Township from his parents. His father, Reubin, died that same year. John’s mother, Charity, lived with her children until 1898. Then, she bought a home in Dexter, where she lived until she died in 1902.

In 1905, John Pratt built this house at 7871 Main St. in Dexter.

John followed his mother to Dexter in 1901 while still keeping the family farm in Lima. In 1905, he built a large home located at 7871 Main Street. In 1906 he purchased the plot in the cemetery where he would build the family mausoleum a few years later. John, his wife, his daughter and her husband, his son, and his wife are buried inside.

“Something very unique about the mausoleum is that he used large cut field stones rather than a more formal architectural look common to mausoleums,” says Lois. “I think this reflects on the wonderful, down-to-earth, rugged farming heritage of the area.”

John was not the only Pratt integral in the area’s historical tapestry. His brother, George, served in the Civil War and later admitted to the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), a veteran’s group for those who served in the Union armed forces. George is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery. After the war, George was in the lumber business in Dexter until 1907. George’s son, Harry, formed a partnership with Daniel Quish to open a hardware store in 1902, where Hackney Hardware is today. George’s daughter, Agnes, taught school in Dexter and is also buried in Forest Lawn.

You may have also noticed the name “Pratt” given to something other than grave markers in Dexter. Pratt Road runs from Zeeb Rd to Wagner Rd in Scio Township. The road is named after John Pratt’s son, Alvin, Lois’s grandfather. The 248-acre Pratt farm was taken over by Alvin’s son, Everett Pratt, in 1906 on Zeeb Rd. It was quite a hub of community interest and activity in its day. Lois remembers when her father, Everett, owned the only threshing machine in Washtenaw County and the festive gatherings it created on the farm.

Alvin Pratt family photo. Alvin was John’s son. Back row: Marion, Everett (Lois’ father), George, Guy, John, Reuben. Front row: Alvin, Grandpa Alvin, Mary, Grandma Jennie, Dell

“Dad had the only threshing machine in the county and did all the threshing for the area farmers,” recalls Lois. “All the farmers came with their horses, tractors, and wagons for threshing days. The men always had conversations as to what had happened since the last time they met. Believe me, I never missed a threshing event!”

The Everett Pratts were integrally engaged in local charities, government, and civic groups. Everett was a member of the Masons, Knight’s Templar, a deputy sheriff, Justice of the Peace, and served on the Dexter-Pratt Road school board. In the early 1950s, the Pratts sponsored a family to relocate from war-torn Holland to the United States. Everett and his family spent Saturday evenings dining at Metzger’s with Bill and Mary Metzger. Friday evenings, the Pratt’s ate at their friend Herman Weber’s restaurant, which started in a rented house. Later, he built a restaurant on Jackson Rd. And then, years later Herman told Everett of his plans to build a restaurant/hotel complex. Everett commented, “Herman, you’ll never get it paid for.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Everett (middle) with the couple he sponsored from Holland.

While Lois reconstructs the Pratt family history, she also works to restore the family mausoleum, which has fallen into disrepair. Water damage is slowly crumbling the once-proud stonework. Unfortunately, nature is not the only threat to the historic landmark.

“It suffers from vandalism,” says Lois. “The door has been smashed in. As a result, it needs some heavy restoration work.”

Everett Pratt family farm on Zeeb Road.

Lois has a contractor lined up to do the restoration work at an estimated $20,000. She hopes to have the money so work can begin yet this spring.

“I want to have a rededication ceremony by July 1. 2021, since that is my father’s birthday and he would be 128 years old,” says Lois. “I know he saw the structure being built, and now there is a lot of work to be done once again.”

If you would like to contribute to the restoration of this historic piece of Dexter history, you can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/little-miss-pratts-mausoleum-restoration-project

All photos courtesy of Lois Pratt-Mekas.