Interior Secretary Deb Haaland established the boundaries of Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park, celebrating a milestone in the ongoing evolution of the national park.
Haaland made the announcement in a meeting with members of the Rhode Island congressional delegation.
With newly completed acquisitions and the creation of municipal historic districts for the mill villages of Ashton Village (Cumberland, Rhode Island), Slatersville (North Smithfield, Rhode Island) and Whitinsville (Northbridge, Massachusetts) and the Little Red Shop in Hopedale, Massachusetts, the boundary establishment fulfilled Congress’ mandate for the park.
“I am thrilled to have reached this important milestone through the multi-year efforts of numerous park partners in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts,” Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park Superintendent Eric Breitkreutz said. “We look forward to expanding public programs and water recreation along the Blackstone River tributary and Blackstone Canal.”
Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park was established in 2014 to help preserve, protect and interpret America’s industrial heritage. The Blackstone River Valley of Massachusetts and Rhode Island is considered the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution when America transformed farm to factory. The success of the first large-scale cotton spinning mill — Slater Mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island — touched off a chain reaction that changed how people worked and lived that continues to reverberate across the nation to this day.
Since the park’s establishment, the National Park Service (NPS) has partnered with multiple state and local organizations throughout the Blackstone River Valley, including the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. The partnership helped establish municipal historic districts, create and offer interpretive programs, expand upon already existing recreational opportunities and raise public awareness of the history, cultural, natural and recreational resources within the valley and its numerous communities.
As part of its creation process, park staff worked with partners to establish ownership interest in two key properties within the valley to help better tell the story of the evolution of the Blackstone River Valley from agriculture to industry supported by multiple planned mill villages.
The acquisition efforts’ fruition occurred in March 2021 when NPS acquired the first successful industrial mill in the United States, the historic Old Slater Mill (1793). NPS also acquired the Wilkinson Mill (ca. 1810), the Sylvanus Brown House (ca. 1753) and associated lands. All of the lands are part of the Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark District.
Additionally, the NPS accepted the conveyance of an 85-acre conservation and preservation easement from Rhode Island to protect portions of the Blackstone River State Park, including part of the historic Blackstone Canal, the Captain Wilbur Kelly House Museum and a section of the Blackstone River Bikeway.
