People visiting two of Cranston’s most historical homes, Joy Homestead and Sprague Mansion on Dec. 4, enjoyed a seasonal and historical perspective on Christmas.

Members of the Western Cranston and Edgewood Garden Clubs decorated the Civil War-era Governor Sprague Mansion at 1351 Cranston Street for the holiday season.

Marion Anderson, Sharon Albert, a long-time Cranston resident, and David Bojar performed 18th and 19th century music at Sprague Mansion. Patrons at the Colonial-era Joy Homestead, located at 156 Scituate Ave., celebrated with holiday music, vintage decorations, cookies and beverages including wassail and Sprague punch.

The Joy Homestead is the former 1800s home of the Joy family in Cranston. Many of the families significant to Rhode Island history are connected with this house, including the Fenners, the Westcotts, the Randalls and the Warners. Colonial-dressed hosts greeted visitors at the Joy Homestead and enjoyed colonial cheer and the warmth of the Job Joy’s fireplaced home. Both sites are on the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, the official National Park Service trail our French Allies marched from Newport to Yorktown during the Revolutionary War.

Both homes/museums are treasures of Rhode Island history preserved and managed by the non-profit Cranston Historical Society.