Frankfort Times Sept. 7, 2009
By Ken Martin

When John Reid bought the castle-like house at the corner of Clay and Washington streets, he did so with one thought in mind.

"I bought it simply as a unique completely different (home) from anything in town and that's what it is," Reid said.

Reid, who is the owner of Pioneer Restoration, bought the house and the dwelling behind it in January. After leveling the smaller home, he elected to totally renovate the towering structure, with an address of 500 Stoney Heights listed next to the front door.

The approximately 3,500-squarefoot house, which has 13 fireplaces, has had an illustrious, yet strange history.

C.M. Pratt built the home in 1870. He was the son of Charles Pratt, a capitalist, businessman and philanthropist with ties to John D. Rockefeller in the 1860s and 70s. They owned all of the railroads in the Midwest and all the petroleum ships on the coast for fuel. Pratt also donated all the land for what is now Amherst College in New York.

C.M. Pratt had two children that graduated in Frankfort. When his daughter married, Pratt gave the house to her. She married a local man and bore two children. However, a daughter died at birth. According to local records, the woman hung herself in an upstairs room of the house the following day.

The house then set empty for 50 years before it changed hands on contract. It was then converted into two apartments - one upstairs and one downstairs. Reid said he started renovation in March and he expects the compete project to take five years.

"We plan on making it a two bedroom home," Reid said. "We won't move into it until it is done. We'll sink a minimum of at least $300,000 into it."

Reid said the outside renovation is nearly finished. However, he decided to gut the inside and restore the house to the way it was in the 1870s. That means new copper ceilings, stained glass windows and new stone being shipped in from the Ohio quarry that made the original home.

He plans to build a cottage house to match the house in the side yard.

Reid said he will allow Frankfort Main Street to use the home as a haunted house if Main Street elects to go that route.

"All proceeds would go to Main Street and I've told them they can use it for that as long as it is empty." Reid said. "I think it would make a great haunted house."

Aside from the restoration work ahead of him, Reid has on other issue looming in his mind.

"We're having tons of problems getting any old pictures," Reid said. "The only photo I have was a copy of a 1905 postcard that LeRoy Good gave to me. If anyone has any old pictures or information about the history of the house, I would like to know about it."