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Blackstone Valley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.
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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.
The canal is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a National Heritage Corridor dedicated to the history of the early American Industrial Revolution, including mill towns 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.
- 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)
Note: In some cases, only a portion of the city or town is included in the Corridor.
- Massachusetts
- Blackstone
- Douglas
- Grafton
- Hopedale
- Leicester
- Mendon
- Millbury
- Millville
- Northbridge and its village of Whitinsville
- Sutton
- Upton
- Uxbridge
- Worcester
- Greater Worcester Land Trust and list of other conservation organizations operating in the Blackstone River Valley
- 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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Providence (capital) |
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| Topics |
Culture | Geography | Government | History | Images | Narragansett Indian Tribe |
| Regions |
Counties: Bristol | Kent | Newport | Providence | Washington (South County) | Geographic: Blackstone Valley | Block Island |
| 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 | Westerly | West Greenwich | West Warwick |
