Blackstone Valley
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The Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.[1]
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[edit] Blackstone River
[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 between 1828 and 1848.
The canal is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
[edit] Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
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.
The Blackstone River Bikeway is a planned 48-mile (77 km) paved rail trail defining the course of the East Coast Greenway through the National Corridor. As of mid-2009, approximately 10 miles (16 km) of the Bikeway has been completed in Rhode Island, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) in Massachusetts.
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.
- Massachusetts
- Blackstone
- Douglas
- Grafton
- Hopedale
- Leicester
- Mendon
- Millbury
- Millville
- Northbridge and its village of Whitinsville
- Sutton
- Upton
- Uxbridge
- Worcester
[edit] See also
- 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
[edit] References
- ^ "Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor". U.S. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/blac. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
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