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RHODE ISLAND
THE BLACKSTONE VALLEY & NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND:
The Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution
In 1793, when Samuel Slater opened the first cotton mill
in America along the banks of and powered by the mighty
Blackstone River in what is now modern Pawtucket, he ushered
in the the era known as the Industrial Revolution. The
dozens of factories which sprang up along the river offered
jobs and hope to the great masses of disaffected immigrants
and a chance at the American Dream. The mill today hosts
one of the most important industrial museums in the country
and it serves as an art gallery and performance space as
well.
The Museum of Work & Culture draws the curious and
the scholar alike from all over the world. It gives us
not only the history of the great migrations which took
place in the 19th centry, but a glimpse into the reasons
as well and a perfect capsulized vision into the most important
event in shaping our country's history.
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