Blackstone River Valley

Blackstone River Valley Blackstone River Valley

Discover the Blackstone River Valley Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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BLACKSTONE DAILY

Sites / Adventure
Attractions
Annual Events Schedule
Events Calendar Thursday Ranger Walkabouts

Communities

Dining Guide

The River Shopping/Dining Services

PDFs of Recreational Fun

PDF MAPS: Get on The River Birding MA Farmstands Fall Foliage Industrial Tour Canal Tour Shopping Tour RI Birding

Antiques Annual Events Arts & Culture Attractions/Museums Berries & Orchards Biking & Bikepath Boat Ramps
Camping

Commons                      Cruising Nights         Summer Concerts
Dining - Fine to Casual Drive-Ins                   Fishing
Golf - Mini-Golf           Greenway Challenge          History of the Valley

Ice Cream
Lodging
Paddling Itineraries
Recreation                  River Cruising
Rock Climbing                 Scenic Drives
Sleighrides
Swimming                            Trails                             Visitor Centers
Walking Tours

Links:

Bike Blackstone Paddling Club

State Parks & Recreation

The American Industrial Revolution began in the Blackstone Valley where its river, utilized for transportation as well as water power, was a driving force behind the rapid growth of industrialization in a formerly agrarian based economy. Sam Slater came from England and changed the course of our Nation's history as he replicated England's coveted Arkwright system in Pawtucket in 1793. Yet, this region and greater Worcester County and northern Rhode Island have stories from even earlier times and throughout history that significanlty shaped America. The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor was designated in 1986 by Congress to recognize the Blackstone Valley's national's significance in early American history and also to revitalize its resources, including America's Heritage hardest working river, the Blackstone.

The Blackstone River drops over 440 feet from Worcester south to Pawtucket - creating a wonderful experience along oft unparalleled landscapes of industrial, urban, suburban and very rural communities.

The Blackstone Valley towns are each unique, yet they share many common threads filled with strong character and traditional New England values of hard work, thriftiness and innovation. The paternalistically shaped mill villages can still be seen, as can the rural farmlands even with the enormous, new growth the Valley has absorbed in the last few decades. The Valley ranges from Rhode Island's vibrant city of Providence at the southern end to 24 communities north to Worcester, mostly shaped around the traditional N.E. Congregational Church common. Worcester, the second largest city in Massachusetts is at the northern point of the Blackstone River. The Blackstone canal are planned for an aesthetic re-opening along the corridor attracting many visitors after years of neglect.

In 1999, the United States Congress named the National Heritage Corridor in honor of the late United States Senator John H. Chafee of Rhode Island, who had co-sponsored legislation creating this region in 1986.

SPECIAL PLACES: Kelly House / Purgatory / Waters Farm / Manchaug / Willard Clock / Asa Waters / Hassanamessit / Upton Beehive Chamber / The Forge / Chestnut Mtg House / Quaker Mtg House / St. Ann's Arts & Cultural Center / Old Armories / Firsts / Dorr Rebellion (PDF) / Pascoag Riverwalk / Daniels Farmstead / Blackstone Gorge / Millville Lock / Ironstone School / St Francis Orphanage / Indian Burial Ground / Hassanamessit / Slater Mill / Blackstone Canal / Lime Rock / Vietnam Memorial / EN Jenckes General Store / Lookout Rock / RI Outdoor Sculpture / Worcester Markers / Vaillaincourt Folk Art / Spaightwood Galleries / Hearthside House // Walking Tours / Grafton Common / Douglas Hoop Barn / Polish National Home / Farnumsville Firehouse / Grafton's Special Sites // Jette's Artwork // Grafton Trails // Grafton Tidbits //

SPECIAL EVENTS: Dragonboat Races / Footsteps in History / Autumnfest / Octoberfest / Greenway Challenge / Maple Sugaring / Races / Canalfest / Indian Powwow / Grafton Arts Festival / Colonial Muster / Trades Fair / Car Cruises / Fall Farm Days / Celtic Festival / Chain of Lights / Picnic in the Park

But the Valley's history, attractions and recreational fun go much deeper than the American Industrial revolution. Its ancestors helped shaped the Nation. Enjoy some of these unique, yet authentic stories and characters of the past:

THE STORIES: Stonewalls // Lakbayin // Mendon's Dudley House

Carol Masiello: Lydia Taft - Indian Burial Ground - Ironstone School - Roger Williams

King Philip's War - Mumma Dudley - Nipmucs - Al Consigli - Dairy Farms - Power Plants -