A special presentation by RI’s Jared the Magician & Mentalist at the spoooooooooky Governor Sprague Mansion takes place on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29 at 7:00 pm. The Cranston Historical Society invites you to the annual Charlie the Butler Ghost Party fundraising event. Jared will entertain guests with a new program – Come see for yourself if he can really read your mind!
A Little About Jared: Jared DuBois -- a well-known RI magical entertainer and mentalist -- has honed his skills performing mind-reading curiosities and eye popping miracles that will entertain and mesmerize. His sleight-of-hand magic with cards, coins, borrowed objects will make you wonder “How does he do that?”
Event Details: Tickets: $20.00; $17.00 for CHS members. RSVP: (401) 944-9226 – Limited seating. Costumes optional—no masks. Covid masks required. Have your future read by intriguing readers for a separate fee: Debb & Tracy will conduct Tarot and Psychic Readings! What Cheer Shakespeare friends may stop by—‘Alas, Poor Yorick!”. . . Age appropriate: 14 yrs. Send checks by October 25 to ATTN: Charlie Cranston Historical Society, 1351 Cranston Street, Cranston, RI 02920 (401) 944-9226. (After Oct. 25, call Charlie to make sure tickets are still available.) 1st Floor Handicap Accessible. www.cranstonhistoricalsciety.org
About Charlie the Butler: The history behind Charles at the Mansion goes back to the 1880s. He was a butler at the mansion and had two daughters. He wanted the eldest to marry the son of the owner of the mansion. Unfortunately, it saddened Charles that it never came to fruition. It is thought he is still “roaming” the mansion distraught -- he also thought that if the daughter married the son, he would be rich too! In an incident with a Ouija Board in 1968, Charlie’s name was spelled out.
About Governor William Sprague and the Mansion: Located in what was once called Spragueville. The federal style Sprague Mansion (built in 1770/1864, stands as a tribute to Rhode Island’s textile history. Three generations of the Sprague family resided here. In 1808, it was from this house that the Sprague family established a calico cloth printing mill. Later it became the Cranston Print Works, one of America’s oldest continuously operating textile printer. Governor William Sprague IV was Rhode Island’s 27th Gov. during the Civil War, 1860-1863 & US Senator 1863-1875. He married the beautiful and politically-minded Katherine Jane Chase, daughter of Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase. He was 33 -- she was 23 when they married on November 12, 1863. As a wedding gift, Sprague gave Kate a diamond & pearl tiara valued at $50,000 & had the “Kate Chase Wedding March” waltz written for his bride.
About our Haunted Mansion: It was known since the 1920s that there are mysterious “souls” residing at the Governor Sprague Mansion. Maybe it is Amasa Sprague, Gov. William Sprague’s IV father, who was murdered not far from the home just beyond the Print Works; Maybe Charlie the Butler ~ we call him ~ he took care of a very wealthy family who resided at the mansion during the Victorian era; What about Kate Chase, herself, considered the Bell of Washington, D.C. during the Civil War; Maybe it’s the Lady in Black usually looking out of the cupola windows when the moon is full; OR the little girl someone heard asking for “mama, mama”.
Cranston Historical Society is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational and historical organization. Proceeds support 1860s Governor Sprague Mansion Museum & 1770 colonial Joy Homestead. Host your special event, meeting or tea at the historic Sprague Mansion. Now reserving for holiday gatherings! 944-9226 cranstonhistorialsociety.org
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