In 1790 Samuel Slater began production at the first water powered cotton-textile factory on the Blackstone River in what is today the City of Pawtucket. After almost two centuries of obscurity, the story of the Birth of the American Industrial Revolution, of America's "hardest working river" that powered that revolution, and the communities of the Blackstone Valley where the revolution took root and spread across the nation, is being told.

Spurred by local recognition of the story's importance, and the value of preserving and interpreting the Valley's historic and natural resources, Congress created the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor as an ambitious experiment in 1986. Ten years later, the experiment was declared a success when Congress voted to extend the life of the Corridor and its governing Commission for a second 10 years and expand the Corridor from 20 to 24 communities.

"The Next Ten Years" is a supplement to the Commission's Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan: it reaffirms basic goals and commitments of the last 10 years and calls attention to important work which remains undone.

10 Year Plan Executive Summary
(PDF: 65KB / 2 pages)

1. Background
(PDF: 129KB / 6 pages)

2. The Next 10 Years
(PDF: 123KB / 6 pages)

3. Experiencing the Heritage Corridor
(PDF: 179KB / 10 pages)

4. Strategic Development
(PDF: 128KB / 9pages)

Appendix A/ Historic & Environmental Compliance
(PDF: 18KB / 1 page)

Appendix B / Natural Resources Inventory and Assessment
(PDF: 40KB / 5 pages)

Appendix C / Public Comments from the New Communities' Welcome Workshops
(PDF: 32KB / 5pages)