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Map of John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The park is square along the bottom, roughly straight up the west side, angled inward along the east, and narrow across the north. The boundary, shown in green, encloses a pale beige interior and the surrounding areas are tan or yellow.

Extended Description

Massachusetts fills most of the map, though the corner of Connecticut abuts Rhode Island in the lower third of the map. This description will begin in the corridor, moving from northwest to southeast, before describing surrounding areas in all three states and transcribing directions written out in the bottom right corner of the map.

Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

The northernmost part of the park juts westward like an ax blade. Moose Hill Wildlife Management Area overlaps the northwest corner. Sites in the western half of the ax head include Old Leicester Airfield, Becker College (Leicester Campus), Worcester Regional Airport, and towns of Leicester, Cherry Valley, and Rochdale.

Worcester, in the eastern half of the ax head, is shown in yellow. Sites within that area include Higgins Armor, UMass Medical Center, Regatta Point State Park, Worcester Art Museum, Worcester Historical Museum, EcoTarium, Union Station, Mechanics Hall, City Hall, Elm Park, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Becker College, American Antiquarian Society, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, and Quinsigamond Village. Worcester State College, Coes Reservoir, and Quinsigamond State Park are outside but close to the town limits.

South of this the Blackstone River cuts diagonally across the park from the northwest to southeast corners. From this point, sites along the river will be described first before turning to areas north and east of the river and then those south and west of the river.

Along the Blackstone River

The Blackstone River runs along the west edge of the narrowest part of the park, just south of Worcester. A purple line representing the historic route of Blackstone Canal begins in the center of Worcester and it joins the river near the College of the Holy Cross. There are a few breaks along the canal but it runs alongside the river through much of the park. A railway and a network of state routes also closely parallel the river.

This grouping of the river, historic canal route, railway, and some state roads continue south and slightly east through the region of Millbury to reach Armory Village and the towns of Millbury, Wilkinsonville, Saundersville, Fisherville, and Fanumsville. Next are Rockdale, Riverdale, Plummer’s Landing, and Plummer Corner in the region of Northbridge before the river crosses Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park, which is shown in green. Sites in the park include Lookout Rock and the Goat Hill Lock on the canal path. River Bend Farm, which has information, is identified in a green callout box. Around this park are West Hill Dam and Park, Stanley Woolen Mill, and the town of Wheelockville to the east and Rogerson’s Village, Blanchard Quarry, Crown & Eagle Mill, Rivulet Village, Capron Park, and the towns of Linwood, North Uxbridge, and Uxbridge to the west.

River Bend Farm is about halfway down the map. Continuing on are Millville, Millville Lock, Triad Bridge, Blackstone Gorge Bi-State Park, which spans the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border, Blackstone, and Mammoth Mill Ruins in the regions of Millville and Blackstone. Another green callout box identifies the Museum of Work and Culture in the town of Woonsocket, which is represented in yellow. Other sites in Woonsocket include World War II State Park, Corridor Commission Office, Cold Spring Park, Harris Hall, Woonsocket Falls, and Friends Meeting House.

Now passing North Smithfield and Cumberland are the towns of Manville and Albion, Albion Bridges, and Blackstone River State Park. A third green callout box points to Blackstone River State Park Visitor Center just outside the park boundary. Next are Kelly House, which has information, Ashton, Quinnville, and Berkeley moving into the region of Lincoln.

The park narrows at this point and then a square-shaped appendage, mostly occupied by Pawtucket in yellow, continues off the southeast corner of the bulk of the corridor. Sites are dense as the river nears the convergence of the south and east borders. From north to south, sites in Pawtucket include William Blackstone Memorial Park, Blackstone River Theatre, Ann & Hope Mill, Valley Falls, Valley Falls Marsh, Valley Falls Heritage Park, Central Falls Landing, Pierce Park and Riverwalk, Jenks Park and Cogswell Tower, Central Falls, J&P Coats Mill Complex, and the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center Slater Mill Historic Site, which is also labeled with a green callout box. More spaced out in the southern half of Pawtucket are Slater Memorial Park, North Burial Grounds just outside the town limits, Blackstone Park, Roger Williams National Memorial, which has information, John Hunt House, Brown University, John Brown House with information, Rhode Island Historical Society Library, and India Point Park.

North and East of the Blackstone River in Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, which has information, is just southeast of Worcester. Continuing in that direction are Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, the Willard House and Clock Museum, which has information, the town of North Grafton, Grafton Common, Hassanamisco Reservation, Indian Burying Ground in the regions of Grafton and Millbury. Two sections of Upton State Forest are north of the towns of Upton and West Upton. Skirting Northbridge, the Little Red Shop, Draper Manufacturing Company, and the towns of Hopedale, White City, and Mendon are in the region of Hopedale. South of that are Quissett Hill Wildlife Management Area, Daniels Farm, Chestnut Hill Meeting House, Quaker Meeting House, and the town of East Blackstone in the regions of Mendon and Blackstone.

East of Woonsocket are Ballou Cemetery and Meeting House Site, Diamond Hill State Park, Diamond Hill, Arnold Mills, and Cumberland Hill in Cumberland. Finally, The Monastery and Nine Men’s Misery is tucked close to the eastern border of the corridor north of Pawtucket.

South and West of the Blackstone River in Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

Back in the northern zone of the corridor, the region of Sutton is south of Worcester and west of Northbridge along the river. Sites there include Old Millbury Common, the towns of Bramanville, West Millbury, and Sutton, Sutton State Forest, Purgatory Chasm State Park, and Northbridge Center. Continuing south and west of the river, toward the region of Douglas and Uxbridge, are Waters Farm, Manchaug, Whitin Machine Works, Whitinsville, East Douglas, E.N. Jenckes Store Museum, and Douglas State Forest.

Richardson Farm is just over the state line in Massachusetts and Round Top Fishing Area, Black Hut Management Area, and Buck Hill Management Area are along the northern border of Rhode Island. Continuing south to Burrillville are George Washington Management Area, White Mill Park, Harrisville, The Assembly, Bridgeton, Bridgeton Car Barn, Pascoag, Oakland, and Mapleville. To the east of this, the Fort Wildlife Refuge, Primrose, Nasonville, Forestdale, Slatersville, Centennial Park, and Union Village are in and around North Smithfield.

Across the southern, straight edge the park is West Closter, Durfee Hill Management Area, Chepachet, the Job Armstrong Store, Brown, and Hopkins Country Store, Acotes Hill, Scotstun Town Forest, Phillips Farm, and Harmony in Glocester. Bryant College, Stillwater, Smith-Appleby House, Georgiaville, Spragueville, West Greenville, Greenville, and Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge are around Smithfield, and Lime Rock Preserve, Lime Rock, Quarry, North Gate Toll House, Great Road Historic District, Lincoln Woods State Park, and Saylesville are around Lincoln.

Surrounding Areas

Shown in yellow, towns near or not far from the eastern border of the corridor include Shrewsbury, Milford, Franklin, North Attleboro, and Attleboro. Another cluster in the upper right corner include Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Needham, and Norwood. Providence and East Providence, also shown in yellow, neighbor Pawtucket and Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor to the south and southwest. Sites in Providence include Waterplace Park and a Railroad Station.

Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor is in Connecticut in the lower left quadrant of the map.

Major highways shown in red and US and state routes shown in gray create a network across the map. Focusing here on the red highways, Interstates 190 and 290 meet in Worcester near the top of the map. Interstate 290 continues south, becoming Interstate 395 before traveling from Massachusetts into Connecticut.

State Route 9 branches off Interstate 290 in Worcester to travel east to Framingham and beyond. State Route 146 also branches off Interstate 290 to run roughly parallel to the Blackstone River through the corridor and into Providence. Interstate 90 angles slightly northeast as it crosses the corridor through Millbury and Grafton. Interstate 90 passes State Route 9 outside of Framingham.

Interstate 495 travels from the top center of the map south and slightly east. It crosses State Route 9 and Interstate 90 before traveling by Milford and Franklin before curving east and continuing off the right edge of the map. Interstate 95, also labeled State Route 128, travels north-south through Needham, through Norwood, and south to cross Interstate 495. State Route 140 connects Interstates 95 and 495.

Interstate 295 branches off Interstate 95 between North Attleboro and Attleboro to curve across the bottom section of the corridor by Cumberland and Lincoln before turning south by Smithfield to pass to the west of Providence. State Route 195 connects Interstate 295 to State Route 10, which itself creates a bypass for Interstate 95.

Legend

A scale in the lower left corner of the map measures distances of 1 and 5 kilometers and 1 and 5 miles. The legend reads as follows:

Black dashed line for Hiking trail,

Pink dashed line for Biking Trail,

Upward-facing caret for Lock,

Pink solid line for Historic route of Blackstone Canal, and

Symbol for Information.

Four paragraphs of text under the title “Directions” are in the bottom right corner, and read as follows:

To River Bend Farm in Uxbridge: Take Mass. 146 to exit for Mass. 16. Follow Mass. 16 east to Mass. 122. Take Mass. 122 north and turn right onto Hartford Avenue. Turn right onto Oak Street. The farm is on the left.

To Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket: Take R.I. 146 to exit for R.I. 104. Follow R.I. 104 north for two miles. Museum is on right at 42 south Main Street.

To Blackstone River State Park Visitor Center: Take I-295 north. Visitor center is located on I-295 between exits 9 and 10 in Lincoln, R.I.

To Blackstone Valley Visitor Center in Pawtucket: From I-95 north take exit 28. Turn left onto School Street. At first light, go straight through intersection and down the hill. At next light. Turn right onto Roosevelt Avenue. Visitor Center parking lot is the first left. From I-95 south take exit 29. Bear right onto Fountain Street, then right onto Exchange Street. At light take left onto Roosevelt Avenue. Visitor center is on the right at the end of the block.