Daniel Pratt
Encyclopedia
Daniel Pratt pioneered ventures that opened the door for industry in the U.S. state
of Alabama
. Prattville
in Autauga County
and Birmingham's Pratt City in Jefferson County
(on the Pratt coal seam) are both named for him. His daughter, Ellen is buried in Birmingham's Oak Hill Cemetery
.
Pratt started his manufacturing career when he moved to Autauga County in 1833 and founded the new town of Prattville for the workers in his first venture, a cotton gin
factory. This operation quickly became the largest producer of cotton gins in the world, and Alabama's first major industry. As his business grew, he branched out with a sawmill
, gristmill
, window factory, iron
foundry
, woollen mill
, railroad, bank
, and the Oxmoor Blast Furnace
in Birmingham. Pratt's businesses were badly affected by the American Civil War
, as many of his workers joined the military and his customer base shrank as the economy soured.
Much credit is given Pratt's efforts for easing Alabama's economic recovery during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. His ability to call in debts on Northern
accounts allowed him to rebuild his own operations, which helped make Autauga County exceptionally stable and prosperous in the period immediately after the war. It was his backing which opened the Birmingham District
to its initial development as an iron-making center.
One of Pratt's slave
s, Charles Atwood,who also happened to be his illegitimate son, purchased a house in the center of Prattville immediately after emancipation
and became one of the founding investors in his former master's railroad ventures. The presence of a respected middle-class African American
family in the center of a 19th century Southern city was exceptional.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Prattville
Prattville, Alabama
Prattville is a city in Autauga and Elmore counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 33,960. Nicknamed "The Fountain City" due to the many artesian wells in the area, Prattville is part of the Montgomery metropolitan statistical area and serves as...
in Autauga County
Autauga County, Alabama
Autauga County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 census the population was 54,571. Its county seat is Prattville.Autauga County is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
and Birmingham's Pratt City in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...
(on the Pratt coal seam) are both named for him. His daughter, Ellen is buried in Birmingham's Oak Hill Cemetery
Oak Hill Cemetery (Birmingham, Alabama)
Oak Hill Cemetery, located just north of downtown, is Birmingham, Alabama's oldest cemetery. Originally on the estate of James M. Ware, it was already a burial ground by April 1869 when it served as the resting place for the infant daughter of future mayor Robert H. Henley...
.
Pratt started his manufacturing career when he moved to Autauga County in 1833 and founded the new town of Prattville for the workers in his first venture, a cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
factory. This operation quickly became the largest producer of cotton gins in the world, and Alabama's first major industry. As his business grew, he branched out with a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, window factory, 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...
foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
, woollen mill
Textile manufacturing
Textile manufacturing is a major industry. It is based in the conversion of three types of fibre into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. These are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. Cotton remains the most important natural fibre, so is treated in depth...
, railroad, bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
, and the Oxmoor Blast Furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
in Birmingham. Pratt's businesses were badly affected by the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, as many of his workers joined the military and his customer base shrank as the economy soured.
Much credit is given Pratt's efforts for easing Alabama's economic recovery during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. His ability to call in debts on Northern
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
accounts allowed him to rebuild his own operations, which helped make Autauga County exceptionally stable and prosperous in the period immediately after the war. It was his backing which opened the Birmingham District
Birmingham District
The Birmingham District is a geological area in the vicinity of Birmingham, Alabama where the raw materials for making steel, limestone, iron ore, and coal are found together in abundance...
to its initial development as an iron-making center.
One of Pratt's slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
s, Charles Atwood,who also happened to be his illegitimate son, purchased a house in the center of Prattville immediately after emancipation
Emancipation
Emancipation means the act of setting an individual or social group free or making equal to citizens in a political society.Emancipation may also refer to:* Emancipation , a champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse foaled in 1979...
and became one of the founding investors in his former master's railroad ventures. The presence of a respected middle-class African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
family in the center of a 19th century Southern city was exceptional.
External links
- Daniel Pratt at the Encyclopedia of Alabama
- Daniel Pratt at Pratthistory.com