Sprague Mansion

Story

The Governor William Sprague Mansion is an historic mansion and museum at 1351 Cranston Street in Cranston, Rhode Island. The house was the birthplace of Governor William Sprague III and his nephew, Governor William Sprague IV.The Sprague familyThree generations of the Sprague family lived in the house. The Spragues were founders of the Sprague Print Works in 1808, which later became the Cranston Print Works, which is the only continuously operating textile printing company in America. At the time of the Civil War, the A. & W. Sprague Company was the richest textile company in the United States.The houseThe house was built around 1790. It was expanded significantly in 1864 by Col. Amasa Sprague. He added a wide hall and wide, winding staircase, for the purpose of entertaining his social contacts from financial, political, and social circles.The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Currently the house is owned and operated by The Cranston Historical Society, a private, non-profit educational and historic preservation organization.