The information center for historic sites and activities in the Blackstone River Valley, which runs from Worcester, MA, to Providence. The region is considered the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, and is dotted with old mill villages, canals, and historic sites.

Bridgeton Car Barn
Bridgeton Square
Burrillville, RI
Phone: 401-568-0247

Built in 1902 to house electric cars then used as a major means of mass transit. The cars stopped running in 1928. Open year round.

Brown and Hopkins Country Store
1179 Putnam Pike, Route 44
Chepachet, RI
Phone: 401-568-4830

While the building was built in 1799, the store itself began operating in 1809 and has continued, uninterrupted, to the present day. Visitors can find a large assortment of country goods, gourmet groceries, antiques, refreshments, and penny candy.

City Hall
169 Main Street
Woonsocket, RI
Phone: 401-767-9205

19th century building, originally founded as the Harris Institute. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln campaigned for the presidency on this spot. Open: Mon-Fri, 8:30 am-4 pm.

Cogswell Tower
Broad Street
Central Falls, RI
Phone: 401-727-7480

Site of an Indian observation point in use during King Phillips War in 1676. The tower was built in 1904 as part of the last will and testament of Caroline Cogswell.

Congregation B'Nai Israel
224 Prospect Street
Woonsocket, RI
Phone: 401-762-3651

This historic synagogue houses stained glass windows created by an understudy of artist Marc Chagall, in addition to a hand-blown chandelier from Milan, Italy. Group tours are available. Open: Mon-Thurs 1:30-5 pm, Fri 12-3:30 pm, Sat-Sun mornings.

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Daggett House
Slater Park, off U.S. 1-A
Pawtucket, RI
Phone: 401-333-1268

Built in 1685, this colonial period home contains antique furniture and needlework, in addition to china owned by General and Mrs. Nathaniel Greene and the Daggett family. Magnificent collection of colonial pewter used during the Revolutionary War. Open: June-Sept., Sat-Sun 2-5 p.m., and by appointment.

Eleazer Arnold House
487 Great Road, Route 123
Lincoln, RI
Phone: 617-227-3956

This 17th century home is an example of a home design known as a "stone-ender", unique to Rhode Island. There are few of these homes remaining. Open June-October, 2nd Sunday of each month, 1-5 pm; or by appointment.

Friends Meeting House
374 Great Road
Lincoln, RI
Phone: 401-245-5860

New England's oldest meeting house still in use, built in 1703. The Quaker meetings are every Sunday at 10:30 am. Tours by appointment only.

Hannaway Blacksmith Shop
671 Great Road
Lincoln, RI
Phone: 401-333-1100 ext. 249

This restored blacksmith shop is used for demonstrations. Originally built in the late 19th century. Open April-November, one Sunday per month; for special events; or by appointment.

Historic Union Village
Great Road, Route 146 A
North Smithfield, RI

This small village in North Smithfield was the site of the first bank in Northern Rhode Island, opened in 1805. For that reason it was originally named Bank Village. A scenic drive-through or walk-through provides views of numerous privately owned historic homes.

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Job Armstrong Store
1181 Main Street, Route 44
Chepachet, RI
Phone: 401-568-1866

Home of the Glocester Heritage Society and Visitor Center, this store was built in 1827 and sold dry goods. Now a museum, featuring demonstrations of colonial crafts such as weaving and quilting. Open Sat only, noon-4 pm.

Moshassuck Cemetery
Lonsdale Avenue
Central Falls, RI
Phone: 401-723-1087

As part of the labor unrest during the Great Depression, the cemetary was the site of a battle between United Textile Workers and the National Guard in 1934. Open year round.

Nine Men's Misery
Edward J. Hayden Library, Diamond Hill Road
Cumberland, RI
Phone: 401-333-6293

The oldest known monument to veterans in the U.S. Erected in memory of the colonists killed in Pierce's Fight during King Phillips War in 1676. Only one survived. Open Year-round.

North Gate Toll House
Old Louisquisset Pike, Route 246
Lincoln, RI
Phone: 401-725-2847

This former toll-gate house was built in 1807 and later became a hotel (after numerous additions). The library here contains many historical documents pertinent to the Blackstone Valley, in addition to a conert hall stage with an unusually decorated curtain and period furnishings. Open for special events and by appointment only.

Pierce Park and Riverwalk
High Street
Central Falls, RI
Phone: 401-727-7480

An important battle in King Phillips War took place on this site in 1676. The Natives met a colonial army under the command of Captain Michael Pierce, resulting in the deaths of 100 Indians and 70 colonists. The battle was a massacre for the colonists, of whom only one survived. Open year-round, dawn to dusk.

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Slater Memorial Park Carousel
Newport Avenue (Route 1A)
Pawtucket, RI 02861
Phone: 401-728-0500 ext. 252

See Map

The stately grounds of this park include an early carousel by Danish immigrant Charles I. D. Looff. The carousel boasts 42 horses, three dogs, and a lion, camel, and giraffe; they are some of the earliest examples of Looff’swork. Rides are a mere 25 cents. Open during warm weather: Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Call ahead for changes in hours.

Slater Mill Historic Site Pawtucket RI Slater Mill Historic Site
67 Roosevelt Avenue
Pawtucket, RI 02862
Phone: 401-725-8638

Open: December, January, and February for scheduled group visits only; December 26-31, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; March 4-November, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

See Map

Site of several colonial structures, including Slater Mill (1793), birthplace of American industry, the Sylvanus Brown House (1758), and Wilkinson Mill (1810), home to an authentic 19th century machine shop. The site also features a eight-ton working water wheel, constructed in 1826, and regular demonstrations of early textile machinery, hand-spinning, and weaving. Cost: Adults $9; seniors (65 and older), $8; children age 6-12, $7.

Slatersville Village Green
Off Route 146
North Smithfield, RI

Slatersville is one of the country's oldest mill villages, and this typical New England village green is surrounded by a meeting house and numerous homes from the 17th and 18th centuries. Open year-round.

Smith-Appleby House
220 Stillwater Road
Smithfield, RI
Phone: 401-231-7363

A restored farmhouse, built in 1696, is a 12-room structure near Georgiaville Pond and is registered on the National Register of Historic Places. Tours by appointment only, May 1-December 30.

Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge
Central Pike, over Hemlock Brook
Foster, RI

The only remaining covered bridge in Rhode Island, this bridge was completed in 1994 and is a reproduction of an early 19th century covered bridge. The lumber for the bridge was donated and cut from local forests.

Town House
180 Howard Hill Road
Foster, RI
Phone: 401-392-9200

This is the oldest town house in the nation. It's still in use today for town meetings--a form of democracy started in New England and still in use throughout most of the region. Tours by appointment only.

Western Hotel
Route 7, 610 Douglas Pike
Burrillville, RI
Phone: 401-568-6253

Built as a hotel in 1774, this site also was a boarding house, tavern, and a stage coach stop. The second floor contained a dance hall and a stage.

White Mill Park
Route 100
Pascoag, RI
Phone: 401-568-4300

The mill on this site was finished in 1834. The original structure burned to the ground, and rebuilt in 1895. Fine example of the 19th century water-powered mills that formed the backbone of the New England economy more than a century ago.

William Blackstone Monument
Broad Street
Cumberland, RI
Phone: 401-334-7773

Memorial to Reverend William Blackstone, an Anglican priest who settled in Rhode Island in 1635--the first European to do so. The memorial is on the site thought to be Blackstone's grave.