Blackstone Valley
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The Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was prominent in the Industrial Revolution.
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[edit] Blackstone River
The Blackstone River begins in central Massachusetts at the confluence of Middle River and Mill Brook in Worcester and travels through south-central Massachusetts and northern Rhode Island until plunging over Pawtucket Falls into the Seekonk River (an extension of Narragansett Bay) in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It is approximately 48 miles (77 km) in length, and drains approximately 540 square miles (1,400 km²) of land area in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The river is named after William Blaxton who arrived in Rhode Island in 1635 and built his home on the river, in what would become Cumberland.
The industrial revolution in the United States started in 1790 when Samuel Slater built Slater Mill at Pawtucket Falls. This was the first textile mill in the United States and was powered by the waters of the Blackstone River. So many mills followed that the Blackstone became known as "America's hardest working river", but industrialization also lead to the river being identified by the end of the 20th century as the primary source of Narragansett Bay pollution.[1]
In August 1955, severe flooding on the Blackstone caused extensive damage to Woonsocket, Rhode Island; where the river is usually 70 feet (21 m) wide it swelled to over 1 mile (1.6 km) wide. Much of this flooding was caused by excessive rain that occurred as a slow moving tropical cyclone moved over the area.
The river, together with the Woonasquatucket River, was designated an American Heritage River in 1998.
[edit] Blackstone Canal
The Blackstone Canal was a waterway linking Worcester, Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island (and Narragansett Bay) through the Blackstone Valley via a series of locks and canals.
The Blackstone Canal Company was organized in 1823 through an act of the Massachusetts legislature, with a Rhode Island company soon following. Construction began in 1825 and cost $750,000 (twice its initial estimate). The canal opened on October 7, 1828 when the packet boat Lady Carrington arrived in Worcester, the first vessel to make the trip. Although the canal was initially successful, within just a few years its business fell sharply when a competing railroad (built 1832) provided quicker and often cheaper transport. In 1847 the Providence and Worcester Railroad began operation, and the canal closed in 1848.
The canal was 20 feet or more in width, and lined with white stone where necessary. It ascended 451 feet, passing through an original 49 locks plus a further 13 locks added after initial construction. The "slack-water" canal intersected the Blackstone River 16 times over its 45-mile course, and ran in the river itself for 10% of its length. These portions proved troublesome since in summer water was sometimes too low for navigation.
Since the canal's closure, parts of its watercourse were filled and other segments are now heavily overgrown with brush and trees. Its remains, however, are still visible in many locations.
[edit] Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a national park dedicated to mill town history stretching across 24 cities and towns (400,000 acres (1,620 km²) in total) near the river's course in Worcester County, Massachusetts and Providence County, Rhode Island. It is named for the late US Senator from Rhode Island John Chafee.
The National Corridor was designated by an Act of Congress on November 10, 1986 to preserve and interpret for present and future generations the unique and significant value of the Blackstone Valley. It includes cities, towns, villages and almost one million people. The Federal government does not own or manage any of the land or resources in the corridor as it does in the more traditional national parks. Instead the National Park Service, two state governments, dozens of local municipalities, businesses, nonprofit historical and environmental organizations, educational institutions, many private citizens, and a unifying commission all work together in partnerships to protect the Valley's special identity and prepare for its future.
On October 12, 2006 the National Heritage Areas Act of 2006 was signed by the President, enacting it as Public Law Number 109-338. This legislation extends the Corridor Commission for five years until October 12, 2011.
[edit] Visitor centers
- Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, Pawtucket, Rhode Island (operated by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council)
- Museum of Work and Culture, Woonsocket, Rhode Island (operated by the Rhode Island Historical Society)
- River Bend Farm Visitor Center at Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, Uxbridge, Massachusetts (operated by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation)
- Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary, Worcester, Massachusetts (operated by the Massachusetts Audubon Society)
[edit] Corridor cities and towns
Note: In some cases, only a portion of the city or town is included in the Corridor.
[edit] See also
- List of Massachusetts rivers
- List of Rhode Island rivers
- Greater Worcester Land Trust and list of other conservation organizations operating in the Blackstone River Valley
[edit] External links
- Official NPS site
- Legislative History of National Corridor
- Blackstone Valley Institute (planning resources)
- Blackstone River Valley Corridor Keepers (preservation group)
- Highway of Commerce: The Blackstone Canal, Worcester Historical Museum, 2005
- Historic American Building Survey
- Documents
- 1998 Map (PDF file)
- An Historical Assessment of Anadromous Fish in the Blackstone River by Buckley and Nixon, U. Rhode Island, 2001
- Blackstone River Watershed: Five Year Watershed Action Plan, Blackstone River Watershed Team, 2000
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State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Providence (capital) |
|---|---|
| Topics |
Culture | Geography | Government | History | Images |
| Regions |
Blackstone Valley | Block Island | East Bay | Newport County | Providence | South County | Warwick/West Bay |
| Counties |
Bristol | Kent | Newport | Providence | Washington |
| Cities |
Central Falls | Cranston | East Providence | Newport | Pawtucket | Providence | Warwick | Woonsocket |
| Towns |
Barrington | Bristol | Burrillville | Charlestown | Coventry | Cumberland | East Greenwich | Exeter | Foster | Glocester | Hopkinton | Jamestown | Johnston | Lincoln | Little Compton | Middletown | Narragansett | New Shoreham (Block Island) | North Kingstown | North Providence | North Smithfield | Portsmouth | Richmond | Scituate | Smithfield | South Kingstown | Tiverton | Warren | West Greenwich | West Warwick | Westerly |
| Reservations |
| Rivers of Rhode Island |
|---|
| Annaquatucket River | Ashaway River | Barrington River | Beaver River | Big River | Blackstone River | Branch River | Carr River | Chepachet River | Chipuxet River | Chockalog River | Clear River | Congdon River | Flat River | Green Fall River | Hunt River | Kickamuit River | Maidford River | Maiford River | Maskerchugg River | Mattatuxet River | Mill River | Millers River | Mishnock River | Moosup River | Moshassuck River | Moswansicut River | Nipmuck River | Nooseneck River | Palmer River | Pascoag River | Pawcatuck River | Pawtuxet River | Peters River | Pettaquamscutt River | Pine River | Pocasset River | Ponaganset River | Potowomut River | Providence River | Quaket River | Queen River | Runnins River | Sakonnet River | Saugatucket River | Seekonk River | Seven Mile River | Stillwater River | Ten Mile River | Usquepaug River | Warren River | West River | Wood River | Woonasquatucket River |
