Jared Pratt & Son

Jared Pratt was born in North Middleboro, Mass., in 1803. He and his uncle, Isaac Pratt, set up a forge, foundry, slitting mill, cotton mill and general store in Wareham, Mass., around 1819. Their firm was incorporated as the Wareham Iron Company in 1828. The Pratts sold out in 1834, and Isaac retired to North Middleboro.

In 1836, Jared moved to Harrisburg, Pa., with his son, Christopher, where they purchased the Fairview Rolling Mill, which had been established three years earlier by Gabriel Heister and Norman Callender. The mill was located on the west bank of the Susquehanna River, about two miles north of Harrisburg. Jared Pratt & Son added a nail factory at Fairview and in 1836 built a second rolling mill and nail works on the east bank of the river a half mile below Harrisburg. The Fairview Works were rebuilt in 1847 and enlarged in 1851. The Pratts abandoned the Harrisburg Works in 1853, but continued at Fairview until 1859, when they sold the works and retired to North Middleboro. The Fairview Works were sold to James McCormick, whose heirs were still operating them in 1879.