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Cranston Historical Society
1351 Cranston, Street, Cranston, RI 02920
401-944-9226
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Protecting, Preserving and Promoting Cranston's History Since 1949
Sprague Mansion - Joy Homestead
The Governor Sprague Mansion
The Sprague Mansion was built in two parts, each representing in its own way, the prosperity of the Sprague Family which came to Cranston as early as 1712.
The small family homestead was constructed in the late 18th century. Featuring a central chimney, low ceilings, simple woodwork, it was a spacious type of home of the well-to-do farmer and merchant of the post-Revolutionary era.
Over the years there have been many changes to the Mansion but the most dominate changes were made in the 1864 by Col. Amasa Sprague when he upgraded the house from the simple homestead to an elegant home where he entertained his social contacts.The new addition included a wide hall lighted by a fan-shaped window above the entrance door.
Instead of the plain straight steep stairs of the old part of the house, the staircase in the 1860’s part of the mansion is wide and winding. The woodwork of the balusters and railings is carved and decorative.
The mantles of the fireplaces in the new section of the house are also representative of the times, Italian marble graces the fireplace in the grand ball room on the first floor where the Sprague’s would have entertained many visitors from the financial, political and sporting circles.
To compliment our ball room is a 1880 Steinway Centennial Concert Grand Piano. This nearly nine feet long piano was a gift of Shaw Safe Family of Newport and has a history. It was purchased in November of 1880 by William Gammell, a Brown Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature and History and Political Economy. Professor Gammell served as President of the Rhode Island Historical Society
Two large bedrooms on the second and third floors replaced the more numerous small bedrooms of the old part of the homestead. The rooms on the third floor on the old side of the mansion were small and many and used by William Sprague II to house many of the men who worked in nearby “Sprague’s Woods” and at the Sprague Print Works during the 1830’s.
The most striking feature of the mansion at first glance is the cupola high atop the new section of the mansion. From here the Sprague’s viewed their panorama of Cranston holdings, the orchards; vineyards; woodlands; reservoir; a railroad; a horsecar company; the Cranston Print Works Manufacturing Company and its two villages of mill houses, complete with a school, community store; boarding houses, meeting house, post office, and counting house, sometimes called the Cranston Bank and a horse racing track. They were Masters of all they surveyed.
By Gladys M. Brayton 1966
The Mansion has been well maintained in its original condition down through the years. Modern facilities have since been tastefully added making the building suitable for the use of large groups when required. Now restored to much of its elegance and splendor the Mansion is once again used for cultural and civic activities. Furnished throughout by gifts and items on loan, the Mansion holds items that belonged to the Sprague family.
The Joytown and the Joy Homestead
By Gladys W. Brayton
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The name Joy is what we call a “place name” and comes from a section in northern France called Jouy. In the early days when people began to use surnames, some distinguished themselves by using the name of the place where they lived, and thus Jouy became a family name. It was later taken to England and Ireland by the Normans and, although it appears spelled many different way, it came to America in 1635 as Joy.
That year Thomas Joy (1) – and we will call him Thomas one – said to be the progenitor of all New England Joys, sailed from Gravesend England for Virginia on the ship Constance. From Virginia he made his way to Massachusetts, Boston where he arrived soon after that town’s settlement. There he married Joan Gallop in 1637 and became the owner of considerable property.
He was an architect and builder by profession and constructed houses, wharves, bridges and warehouses at Boston, and was most successful. But he was a man of great independence and seems to have gotten into trouble with the authorities thereby. Only church members could vote at that time in Boston and apparently Thomas Joy was not a member of the church, so was not eligible to vote. He voiced his opinions of these narrow minded restrictions and finally found himself in irons for his non-conformity. When released he moved to Hingham around 1646, brought land there, built a grist and saw mill and a bridge and other buildings and stayed there until Boston’s views became more liberal.
By 1656 he had resumed his social and business relations with Boston in 1657, and he was commissioned to built the first town house there. This was said to be the most ambitious architectural undertaking in New England at that time and was made possible by a legacy from Capt. Robert Keanye, augmented by popular subscriptions. The contract called for a very substantial and comely building 61 ft. in length and 36 ft. in breadth. Thomas Joy completed it in 1658 on a site at the head of the present State Street near his property. (There is still a Joy Street in Boston, which runs off of Beacon Street close by the present state house, which was named for this Thomas Joy and which marks the location of his Boston property.)
This is the original home of Joy Job. Built c.1754. The French were here in June 1781 In 1780, as part of the alliance with the 13 colonies seeking to overthrow British rule, France sent an army of 5028 soldiers of our ally His Most Christian Majesty, Louis XV to the aid of General George Washington as he prepared for a decisive campaign against General Charles Lord Cornwallis. General Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de (Count) Rochambeau sailed into Newport, Rhode Island, at the head of the Expedition Particuliere, an army of 450 officers and 5,300 men. After wintering in Newport, Rochambeau's army marched through Rhode Island. On June 18th in the early hours of the morning as to avoid heat the first regiment broke camp.