06/20/2026
Meet the Memorials: Samuel Pratt
Section 10, Lot 219
Private Samuel Pratt enlisted into Company D of the 24th USCT on February 14, 1865 and mustered out with the company on October 1st, 1865.
The 24th regiment was organized at Camp William Penn in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the
17th of February, 1865, the last regiment to leave Camp William Penn. Early in May, the regiment was
placed in Camp Casey, on the Virginia side of the Potomac. On the first of June, it was sent to Point
Lookout, Maryland, where it was employed in guarding rebel prisoners. They were then ordered to Richmond, Virginia where posts were established and government supplies were distributed to the needy inhabitants and the troops were employed in preserving order. They continued in this duty until near the close of September and then the regiment was mustered out of service on October 1st.
He was born of enslaved parents in the State of Virginia. He came to Meadville in 1866. For a long period, he was a clerk in the grocery store of Samuel L. Gardner. In the Fall of 1883, he opened a
butcher shop on the corner of Liberty and North streets. He closed the butcher shop in 1892 to open a bakery. In 1897 he made improvements in his mode of delivery of his baked goods. By changing from a hand cart to a delivery wagon drawn by a horse, his deliveries were more efficient.
In February of 1889, Mr. Pratt became the first black person to become an elected official for City
Council by the citizens of Meadville. The newspaper stated that “Samuel Pratt will represent the Second Ward. Mr. Pratt is a worthy colored man who was fairly nominated and fairly elected. Sam will always be found on the right side.”
In an article dated, February 20, 1889, it said, the election of Mr. Pratt, from the Second Ward,
gives the Republicans of that precinct the credit of having been the first in the city to honor a colored
man by electing him to a seat in the Council.
In February of 1890, Mr. Pratt received a flattering majority for re-election, showing his popularity. Some members of the Republican Party were not happy about this. They executed a concerted effort to make sure he did not win re-election, even if it meant the Democrat candidate would win. Mr. Pratt had the support from most of the Republican Party. They said in an article after the election that,
“but for the miserable treachery of a few Republicans in the Second Ward who forgot
duty in their desire to punish a successful contestant, Councilman Samuel Pratt was defeated.”
Samuel Pratt was very active in Bethel A.M.E. Church, serving as Superintendent of Sunday
School and trustee for many years.
Mr. Pratt served as the sexton at the First Presbyterian Church and ran his bakery for many years.
In 1914, he decided that he could not continue his work as a sexton and run his bakery at the same time and he decided to close down his bakery business.
Samuel Pratt was born in Virginia on February 4th, 1839 and died on October 26th, 1926 according to his death certificate.
In addition to the United States Colored Troops, Samuel Pratt made many contributions to the City of Meadville. Some of these contributions include his services to Bethel A.M.E. Church and First Presbyterian Church, his businesses, his political services and his services to his community through different organizations.
Samuel Pratt’s grave went without a military headstone for 100 years and finally on April 13,
2026, Samuel Pratt’s military headstone was installed by Greendale Cemetery Superintendent, Patrick Groover. The paperwork to apply for a headstone was submitted by Diane Nottingham of the Crawford County Veteran Services. Research by Michell Basham.
