Dr. Skinner's Childhood Home for Sale (by James Boles, Ed.D.)
Posted June 21, 2016 at 7:00 pm
Skinner House For Sale - J. Boles 2016
A large 1828 house on the Prattsburg, NY Town Square Park will be soon listed for sale. This house, known locally as the ‘Blood House’, was named for the Fred and Ada Blood family who lived there in the early 1900s. Recent interest in the house stems from its first owners, the Erastus Skinner family. The Skinner family had the house built in 1828 by Asa Hopkins. A famous member of the family, Dr. Platt H. Skinner, lived in the house as a child from 1828 to the 1840s. Dr. Skinner was a graduate of Franklin Academy and Oberlin College in Ohio and trained as a dentist. He and his wife Jerusha (Hills) opened three schools for disabled African-American children during a racially troubled time in America’s history (1858 – 1866). The Skinner family briefly lived on Mechanic St., before building this house.
Skinner House on Mchanic St. 1824-1828, J. Boles 2016
Assisted by Prattsburg, NY Town Historian Lenora Applebee, the two Skinner homes were discovered in a trip to the Historian’s Office in May. With help from Historian Applebee, contact was made possible with the homeowner, Connie Dickerson. On Friday June 3rd, Lenora and I dropped in on Connie as she started to clean out the historic home and she graciously invited us in for a tour.
Connie Dickerson-Homeowner, Jim Boles-Researcher, and Lenora Applebee-town Historian
Although re-modeled many times over its 188 years, the house has many beautiful features such as the wide plank floors and woodwork.
Staircase in Skinner House-J.Boles 2016
As the Museum of disABILITY History in Buffalo prepares for an updated book about Dr. Platt H. Skinner, we thank the Prattsburg Historical Society, Director Lenora Applebee and the homeowner, Connie Dickerson for showing us his boyhood home.
Museum Publication
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