Thomas Fenner House
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The Thomas Fenner House or the "Sam Joy Place" is a historic stone-ender house in
Cranston, Rhode Island Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second largest in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island ...
. It the oldest surviving house in the Providence Plantations portion of
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
. The only older structure in the state is the White Horse Tavern in Newport. The house was built as a farmhouse in 1677 after
King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...
by Captain Arthur Fenner for his son Major Thomas Fenner. The house was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1990. The House is available for short stays by those interested in the historical and architectural significance of the property. It also is made available to educational groups to visit and study. Captain Arthur Fenner's original homestead, which was known as "Fenner Castle" (circa 1652) was burnt to the ground in King Philip's War. Captain Arthur was appointed Captain of the militia and his son Thomas was appointed Major. They were among a small handful of men "one who staid and went not away" in the defense of Providence. After the war, in 1677, Arthur rebuilt his home also built, for his son, the Major Thomas Fenner house. The "Fenner Castle" stood until 1896 when the chimney was demolished. Arthur's great grandson, Thomas's grandson) was Governor Arthur Fenner who donated a piece of wood from Captain Arthur's "Fenner Castle" for what is now the RI Mace. He did so to honor his grandfather, Captain Arthur Fenner who so bravely defended Providence from the Indians.The Rhode Island Historical Magazine, Sketch of Capt. Arthur Fenner of Providence, A paper read before the RI Historical Society, March 23 and April 6, 1886 by Rev.J.P. Root. - (Source http://www.gaspee.com/Mace.htm)


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence County, Rhode Island __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence County, Rhode Island. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Providence C ...


References


External links


Cranston Historical Society information about the houseAn audio slideshow about the Fenner house
* Houses in Cranston, Rhode Island Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Houses completed in 1677 Historic American Buildings Survey in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Providence County, Rhode Island 1677 establishments in Rhode Island {{ProvidenceCountyRI-NRHP-stub