Stagecoach Sets Footsteps in History Course
Representatives and friends from heritage sites across the Blackstone Valley will kick off the Footsteps in History weekend with Bob Largess of Sutton driving a restored stagecoach from Providence to Worcester. Organizers say it is the first time a stagecoach has made the journey in 180 years. He will arrive at Millbury’s Asa Waters Mansion on Wednesday, October 3rd, to greet docents, interpreters and staff from many of the participating heritage sites gathered to celebrate the program’s third year.

Footsteps in History was created as a valley-wide open house to celebrate all of the great events and historic places of the Blackstone Valley on one weekend, and this year over 75 sites are participating on October 6, 7 and 8 -- Columbus Day Weekend.

"Footsteps” has grown from a Corridor/Tourism Collaborative project to one that is now funded through the Tourism Collaborative and a grant from Preserve America, a program of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Other project partners include the Rhode Island Preservation & Heritage Commission and the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Many thanks are due to the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and its partners in producing this broad reaching event.

For more program details and on individual heritage sites, please visit www.footstepsinhistory.com, peruse the insert provided in your local newspaper, or call coordinator Lorraine Provencher at 401.724.2200.

The newly restored headgate at the Stanley Woolen Mill

Blackstone Canal Gates Restored – Join the Celebration on October 19!
Three historic water control structures at the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in Uxbridge, MA have been restored. The gates, which had been inoperable for 20 years, are functional once again! Now water may be controlled at optimal levels through the canal. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 10:00 a.m. on October 19, with confirmed attendance of state legislators and elected officials. Please come join us as we celebrate the completion of this exciting project!

The restoration process was extensive: the water level in the canal was lowered, the gates were disassembled and their metal components were repaired and/or re-cast off-site. Deteriorated concrete was patched, masonry was repaired and all of the timber components were replaced. The project was funded with $238,000 from the Commission, $238,000 from the Office of Public Private Partnerships in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and $312,000 (design and construction) from the Department of Conservation and Recreation. A big “hats off!” goes to all of the parties involved in the restoration of this significant resource.

For more information, contact Joanna Doherty, Community Planner at the Commission, at 401-762-0250 or e-mail us.

Joyce Appleby, author of the fascinating story of the New Republic's early growth, Inheriting the Revolution: The First Generation of Americans will provide the Keynote Address at the Mill Village Conference.

Mill Village Conference to be Held November 2nd & 3rd
Led by the well known and highly engaging Dr. Joyce Appleby, Professor Emerita at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), a wide ranging group of scholars will discuss industrialization and the development of the mill village in the second of the Commission-sponsored Conference Series. This year’s sponsoring partners include Rhode Island College, the Slater Mill Historic Site and DSF Group who will sponsor the Friday, November 2nd reception at the newly renovated and restored Slatersville Weave Mill in Slatersville, Rhode Island.

Panels discussing the true impact of Samuel Slater, understanding the industrial landscape of the mill village, labor and life in the mill village and a contemporary view of the mill village today will be just some of the topics discussed at this year’s conference. Scholars from a variety of disciplines will join participants to add flavor and new insights to the story of industrialization here and throughout the United States. This is one upcoming event you will not want to miss!

Students with a valid college ID are admitted free of charge.  For more information, contact Lead Ranger Chuck Arning at the Commission, at 401-762-0440 or e-mail us.