Thomas Fenner House
- Thomas Fenner House
The Thomas Fenner House or the "Sam Joy Place" is an historic stone-ender house on 43 Stony Acre Drive in Cranston, Rhode Island. It is one of the oldest surviving houses in Rhode Island.
The house was built as a farmhouse around 1677 after King Philip's War. 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 Philip's 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 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.
Source: Gaspee Days Committee: History Files
The Defenders of Providence During King Philips War by Howard W. Preston, April 1928
Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission: Statewide Preservation Reports, 1975 - 1982
Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission: Historical and Architectural Resources Preliminary Reports, 1978-1991