In early rural households, most women designated one day of the week as washday. Separate washhouses were common in the 1890s, but the Pratt washhouse stood out for its fine stonework, chimney, running water, wallpaper, and tin ceiling. The Pratt's washhouse was the only structure on this site built on a foundation, and its walls form an underlying cellar. In 1923, concrete posts and a wire fence replaced a wood picket fence. The fence served two purposes: it kept children and pets in, and kept livestock off the lawn and away from the house.