A mysterious object welcomes visitors to the Pratt Family estate: a black, 25-foot-long pipe with a hollow bulb at one end. At first glance, it resembles an oversized garden sculpture, but in truth, it is a listening bell—an unusual gift from Japan to the wealthy family decades ago.
The bell, a relic of cultural exchange, has puzzled and fascinated visitors and historians alike. Its purpose seems simple: to amplify ambient sound—but the experience is unlike anything most have ever encountered. “It’s eerie and mesmerizing,” said a visitor to the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, which now occupies the estate. “You hear things you don’t expect. It’s like the pipe has a mind of its own.”
The Pratt Family, prominent industrialists and philanthropists who settled on Long Island’s Gold Coast in the 1880s, received the bell as a diplomatic gift, though the specifics of its origin are shrouded in mystery. Japanese engineers are believed to have designed it to demonstrate acoustic principles, yet it also carries an aura of ceremony and tradition. Its unusual design—a long hollow tube with a cutout in the bulb for people to put their heads inside—suggests a blend of function and artistry.
Though never widely studied, the listening bell continues to spark curiosity, according to Bernie Furshpan, the Holocaust center’s vice chairman. Visitors are encouraged to approach it patiently, sitting on a small bench and hearing the sound waves vibrate around the bell. The result is surprisingly clear, sometimes revealing distant voices, rustling leaves, or the faint hum of the surrounding estate.
For those who come across it, the bell is a reminder that history is not always silent. At the Pratt preserve, a curious artifact continues to speak across generations, inviting guests to hear a story in every whisper.