The Clemence-Irons House on George Waterman Road in Johnston is well known for being one of the oldest houses in New England. However, the life of the spinster lady who once lived there was just as interesting.

The house was built in 1691 by Richard Clemence. A structure known as a stone-ender, it contained four rooms on its ground floor while the top floor was left as an open space.

When Richard died in 1723, his son Thomas Clemence inherited the property. In 1740, it was sold to John Angell, who later left it to his son James Angell. Stephen Sweet purchased the house in 1826, and when he died in 1855, his daughter Sarah took over ownership.

Sarah was the wife of farmer Amasa Irons and the mother of Ellen Irons, who was born in September 1862. Ellen grew up in the house, inherited it upon Sarah’s death in 1890 and lived out the rest of her life there.

By the age of 38, Ellen was living alone in the house with an 8-month-old baby girl named Wilhelmina Pepper. For reasons unknown, Wilhelmina’s parents, Lillie May (Tittle) and George Pepper, were residing in Essex, Massachusetts, with Lillie’s parents. George, who was much older than his wife, worked as a capitalist, investing money in trade for profit. The couple was well off and employed a handful of servants.

After George’s death from chronic bronchitis at the age of 71 in 1902, Wilhelmina moved back to Essex with her mother and maternal grandparents. An only child, she remained there in her well-to-do family home far into adulthood.

Ellen, who worked as a teacher, was then alone again until she took in her 46-year-old nephew, Elma, who was employed as a clerk at a drug store. In later years, as she aged, she apparently found it difficult to financially support herself. In 1934, she began asking for donations toward the upkeep of the house.

That same year, Johnston’s dog officer received an envelope from Ellen which stated that one dollar was enclosed to cover the cost of licensing her dog. The envelope contained no money, however, and the letter had a notation scrawled on it which stated that she’d had to take the dollar back and use it to buy food.

Her dog still unlicensed, she appealed to the Town Council, asking them to pay for the license out of their funds. When they refused, a Good Samaritan came forward and offered to make the annual licensing payments for the rest of the dog’s life.

Ellen Irons died three days before her 76th birthday at the Homeopathic Hospital in Providence. By the late 1930s, the once-simple abode contained 13 rooms. After being purchased by the Sharpe family, they had it restored to its original character and gifted it to Historic New England, a historic preservation organization.

Although the house is currently closed to the public due to the nationwide COVID epidemic, it is normally opened for tours as a museum.

Kelly Sullivan is a Rhode Island columnist, lecturer and author.