pratt and his wife, lillian, continued the restoration of the historic property throughout much of their lives. after she died in 1947 and he became tired of the constant flow of visitors arriving to tour the property which, in the colonial era, entertained george washington and, during the american civil war, abraham lincoln. the extensive gardens, installed by the estate's earlier owners during the 1920s, were such a draw for curious visitors that he actually had them dug up and reinstalled in a more subdued design.