Thomas Fenner House
Encyclopedia
The Thomas Fenner House or the "Sam Joy Place" is an historic stone-ender house on 43 Stony Acre Drive in Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...

. It is one of the oldest surviving houses in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

.

The house was built as a farmhouse around 1677 after King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...

. The house was added to the National Historic Register in 1990. It is privately-owned and is not open to the public.
The Thomas Fenner house was built by Captain Arthur Fenner for his son Major Thomas Fenner.

Captain Arthur Fenner['s] first home was burnt to the ground in King Phillips War where he was appointed Captain of the militia and was "one who staid and went not away" in the defense of Providence. Arthur's original homestead was built in 1662. After the war, he rebuilt his home in 1677 and he also built, for his son, the Major Thomas Fenner house. The "Fenner Castle" stood until 1895 when the chimney was demolished Arthur's grandson was Governor Arthur Fenner
Arthur Fenner
Arthur Fenner served as the fourth Governor of Rhode Island from 1790 until his death in 1805 and was a prominent Country Party leader...

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.
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