- Blackstone Valley
The Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of
Massachusetts andRhode Island . It is the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.Blackstone River
Blackstone Canal
The Blackstone Canal was a waterway linking
Worcester, Massachusetts , toProvidence, Rhode Island (and Narragansett Bay) through the Blackstone Valley via a series of locks andcanal s between 1828 and 1848.The canal is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places .Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a
National Heritage Corridor dedicated to the history of the early American Industrial Revolution, includingmill town s stretching across 24 cities and towns (400,000 acres (1,620 km²) in total) near the river's course inWorcester County, Massachusetts andProvidence County, Rhode Island . It is named for the lateUS Senator from Rhode IslandJohn Chafee .The National Corridor was designated by an
Act of Congress onNovember 10 ,1986 to preserve and interpret for present and future generations the unique and significant value of the Blackstone Valley. It includes cities, towns, villages and almost one million people. The Federal government does not own or manage any of the land or resources in the corridor as it does in the more traditional national parks. Instead theNational Park Service , two state governments, dozens of local municipalities, businesses, nonprofit historical and environmental organizations, educational institutions, many private citizens, and a unifying commission all work together in partnerships to protect the Valley's special identity and prepare for its future.On October 12, 2006 the National Heritage Areas Act of 2006 was signed by the President, enacting it as Public Law Number 109-338. This legislation extends the Corridor Commission for five years until October 12, 2011.
Visitor centers
*Blackstone Valley Visitor Center,
Pawtucket, Rhode Island (operated by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council)
*Museum of Work and Culture ,Woonsocket, Rhode Island (operated by theRhode Island Historical Society )
*River Bend Farm Visitor Center atBlackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park ,Uxbridge, Massachusetts (operated by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation)
*Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary,Worcester, Massachusetts (operated by theMassachusetts Audubon Society )Corridor cities and towns
Note: In some cases, only a portion of the city or town is included in the Corridor.
*Massachusetts
**Blackstone
**Douglas
**Grafton
**Hopedale
**Leicester
**Mendon
**Millbury
**Millville
**Northbridge and its village of Whitinsville
**Sutton
**Upton
**Uxbridge
**Worcester
*Rhode Island
**Burrillville
**Central Falls
**Cumberland
**East Providence
**Glocester
**Lincoln
**North Smithfield
**Pawtucket
**Providence
**Smithfield
**WoonsocketSee also
*
Greater Worcester Land Trust and list of other conservation organizations operating in the Blackstone River Valley
External links
* [http://www.nps.gov/blac Official NPS site]
* [http://www.nps.gov/blac/parkmgmt/lawsandpolicies.htm Legislative History of National Corridor]
* [http://www.nps.gov/blac/institute/index.html Blackstone Valley Institute] (planning resources)
* [http://www.corridorkeepers.org/ Blackstone River Valley Corridor Keepers] (preservation group)
* [http://www.worcesterhistory.org/ex_blackstone.html Highway of Commerce: The Blackstone Canal] ,
* [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.ri0099 Historic American Building Survey]
*Documents
** [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/blackstone_river_park98.pdf 1998 Map] (PDF file)
** [http://www.edc.uri.edu/restoration/html/resource/BlackstoneHistoricalReport.pdf "An Historical Assessment of Anadromous Fish in the Blackstone River"] by Buckley and Nixon, U. Rhode Island, 2001
** [http://projects.geosyntec.com/bw0027/documents/DraftActionPlan.pdf "Blackstone River Watershed: Five Year Watershed Action Plan"] , Blackstone River Watershed Team, 2000
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
