 |
 |
 |
| [ images by Jim McElholm-Single Source Inc. ] | ||
William Blackstone chose wisely when he decided to build his home in what would become Cumberland, RI. Today Cumberland blends the bustling mill villages of the valley with the rolling hills above.
Blackstone
River Theatre
William Blackstone Memorial Park
Monastery
Diamond Hill Park
Valley Falls Heritage Park
Ashton Village
Blackstone River Theatre
The mission of Blackstone River Theatre is to present the performing and visual arts; to offer arts education; and to preserve and support the cultural diversity and heritage of all types of traditional folk music, dance and visual arts with an emphasis on those groups that settled in the Blackstone River Valley.
Believing that the arts are integral to building important cultural bridges, Blackstone River Theatre is dedicated to promoting and developing the arts for our community and its artists by creating awareness, offering performance opportunities and promoting involvement through participation.
549 Broad Street
Cumberland, RI 02864
(401) 725-9272
www.riverfolk.org
William Blackstone Memorial Park
Small park dedicated to the memory of William Blackstone, first permanent
English settler of the Blackstone Valley. Located near the site of his
home, includes memorial marker and interpretive panels about his life.
Open sunrise to sunset.
Broad Street
Cumberland, RI
Monastery
Former Cistercian Monastery now owned by the Town of Cumberland and used
as a recreation area and home of the Cumberland Library. Site of Nine
Men’s Misery, where nine English soldiers from Pierce’s Fight,
a battle in 1676 during the King Philip’s War, were taken and tortured
to death by Narragansett warriors. Open sunrise to sunset.
Diamond Hill Road.
Cumberland RI,
(401) 728-2400
http://www.cumberlandlibrary.org/monasterypage.htm
Diamond
Hill Park
Named for its mile-long face of veined granite quartz, Diamond Hill provides
a number of recreation opportunities. The view from the top of Diamond
Hill, formerly a small ski slope, is spectacular. There are a number of
hiking trails to explore all over the park. Open from sunrise to sunset.
Diamond Hill Road
Cumberland, RI
(401) 728-2400
Valley
Falls Heritage Park
Educational park built on ruins of Valley Falls Company Mill. Interpretive
displays explain how Blackstone River was harnessed to power factories,
and the growth of the Valley Falls Mills and village. Open dawn to dusk.
Broad Street
Cumberland, RI
Ashton
Village
A quintessential example of a mid-19th Century Mill Village, Ashton was
built in 1867 as the Lonsdale expanding its operation. Today, much of
the village including brick working housing and the massive mill remains
intact. Ashton is also an entrance site to the Blackstone River Bikeway.
Store Hill Road, off
Rt. 122.
Cumberland, RI
 |
 |
|
| [ image by Jim McElholm-Single Source Inc. ] |
Smithfield was established out of Providence in 1731 and included what are now Central Falls, Lincoln, North Smithfield and half of Woonsocket until 1871. Modern Smithfield is a delightful combination of small mill villages along the Woonasquatucket River and rolling hills that once were farm fields.
Georgiaville
Smith Appleby House
Audubon
Society/ Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge
Georgiaville
Georgiaville is a wonderful example of a mill village, including rare
stone houses. Originally built by Zachariah Allen in his vision of an
idealized mill village, many of those qualities remain today. Homestead
Avenue, off Rt. 104.
Homestead Avenue
Smithfield, RI
Smith
Appleby House
Smith Appleby is a beautifully restored mid 18th Century farmhouse, now
operated by the Smithfield Historical Society. Call for tours and special
events.
220 Stillwater Road
Smithfield, RI 02917
(401) 231-7363.
www.smithfieldhistory.org
Audubon Society/ Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge
This 76-acre refuge contains some fine trails. The refuge is also the
headquarters for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island that runs an education
center here. Open year round, from dawn to dusk.
12 Sanderson Road.
Smithfield, RI 02917
(401) 949-5454.
www.asri.org
 |
 |
 |
| [ images by Jim McElholm-Single Source Inc. ] | ||
It was along the Branch River, not the Blackstone, here in North Smithfield that America’s first mill village was built. Those mill villages still serve as the core centers of North Smithfield even as it has continued to grow into a modern town.
Union
Village
Slatersville
Red
School House
Union Village
A delightful example of a turnpike village, Union village retains much
of its charm from the Federal Period. Union Village boomed from 1800-1820
when it was an important stagecoach stop on the route along Great Road.
Along with taverns, Union Village was also home to a hat shop, an academy
and the Union Bank from which it gets its name.
Smithfield Road (Rt. 146A)
North Smithfield RI
Slatersville
Slatersville is the first planned industrial mill village in the United
States. Founded in 1807 when brothers Samuel and John Slater were looking
for a site to build a mill where they would not have to compete with other
employers for workers. To provide for their workers needs the Slaters
needed to provide housing, stores, churches and a school – a plan
that served as a blueprint for mill villages all over the United States.
North Smithfield, RI
Red
School House
This 1877 Schoolhouse is home of the North Smithfield Heritage Association,
and contains a meeting space, exhibits and their library. Call for events
and hours.
School Street
North Smithfield, RI
(401) 766-0701
