Smack Down on the Blackstone

Guest Blog Post by Robert D. Billington, President

Blackstone Valley Tourism Council

Former-Chair, Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission

BVRI@aol.com (401) 724-2200

Art Installation at Slater Mill

Revolutions don’t happen accidentally.  There must be a catalyst: someone or something has to be so unique and so paradigm changing that it sets the normal world ajar.  One of America’s greatest revolutions took place here in the Blackstone River Valley.  In fact, the revolution that gave America its economic independence began on the banks of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket. 

This revolution changed the way Americans worked and lived, and it began our nation’s rise to super-power status.  In December of 1790 an 18 year-old ex-patriot from England, Samuel Slater, was able to reproduce on the Blackstone River what he had learned as an apprentice on the Derwent River in Belper, England.  It was this system of mills that garnered the attention of our founding fathers and launched America’s industrial revolution, transforming our nation’s economy. 

It’s not every day that a community gets a chance to tell the story of a revolution on a national scale.  We have that opportunity now.

In 1986, the US Congress established the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor to tell this fascinating American story.  A small group of Rhode Island and Massachusetts citizens were appointed to make up the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission.  Their charge was to work with state and local governments to preserve the Valley’s history, culture and environmental features, create plans and partnerships, and ensure the best possible return on federal investments in the Blackstone River Valley.

 Congress directed the National Park Service to support this effort.  To date, over $25 million has been spent on preserving historic buildings, creating museums, constructing visitor centers and building permanent exhibits to tell the story to the thousands that visit the Blackstone Valley each year.  At the same time, the Commission and its many partners worked to clean up the river, create public access, promote restoration and reuse of historic structures, protect the character of historic villages and downtowns, and get construction underway of the Blackstone River Bikeway, which will connect Providence to Worcester. The work of this Commission could not be more important to the past and future viability of the Blackstone Valley.

A specialized team made up of 6 U.S. history scholars and National Park Service planning staff spent the last three years preparing a Special Resource Study to help Congress decide if this story of industrialization in America should be told with a permanent national park in the Blackstone Valley.  After substantial research, meetings with residents, community historians and public officials, it was clear that the Blackstone Valley is a place that holds unique significance as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution and that it should be transformed into a permanent unit of the National Park System. 

For the past 25 years, the Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission has collaborated with a diverse range of community partners to protect the important industrial landscapes, enhance cultural resources and create a destination to tell this American story.   It is impossible to think that a region, which saw 200 years of industrialization and economic decline, could be regenerated in just 25 years.  The restorative work in the Valley has not been completed.   However, under current federal legislation, the work of the Corridor Commission could come to an end in October of this year, when its congressional authority expires.  Although our designation as a National Heritage Corridor will last in perpetuity, the federal funding and Park Service staff would no longer be available.   

Based on the Special Resource Study, new legislation is expected to be introduced this year to create a permanent national park.  We believe that this is an important next step in preserving the Valley’s history and strongly urge Congress to approve a national park in the Blackstone Valley.

The national park would include certain sites and districts in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts that the Study has identified as being of particular, national significance.  These include Slater Mill, a National Historic Landmark in Pawtucket, as well as the mill villages of Ashton and Slatersville, both listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  In addition, the Study recommends, and the legislation is likely to require, that the Park Service not only manage this Park but also forms a partnership with a Corridor-wide organization to make sure the regional efforts to protect the resources of the Valley can continue.

The National Park Service has been an important supporter of the communities between Providence and Worcester that make up the Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor.  As we enter this period of transition, it is clear that the work of the National Park Service is not finished.  Fortunately, we have the opportunity to make sure we can continue telling our story, and doing it better than ever. We should not let this opportunity slip away.  To use a wrestling term: It’s Smack Down time.  Our congressional delegation is already very much involved and supportive. They need to hear from you.  For further information about what you can do, or to download a copy of the Special Resource Study when it is published for public comment, visit http://www.blackstonevalleycorridor.org/, where you can also sign up to express your support.