The area which is now known as Pratt was settled in 1781 by the Morris and Hansford families who contributed greatly to the early settlement of the Upper Kanawha Valley. Pratt’s historic district is roughly bounded by Ferry Street, Kanawha River, Charles and Pratt Avenues. Some of the historic buildings representative of Pratt’s past are located within this area. The town’s only church, the Old Kanawha Baptist, was constructed over 200 years ago. Around the church are grave sites that date back to pre-Civil War days. Town Hall, built in 1875, is located here in the town square.

In the late 1800s the Charles Pratt Coal Company, which had operations on nearby Paint Creek, opened offices in town. The town was incorporated in 1905, and bore the name of the coal company. The town gained national recognition with the outbreak of the “Mine Wars” of 1912-13 and the imprisonment of union activist, Mother Jones.