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Tour of the
Week - Blackstone River Valley
Rhode Island, New
England, USA
February 16,
2008
The Historic Architecture of
the Blackstone Valley |
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Sample Packaged Tour Itinerary |
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The Historic Architecture of
the Blackstone Valley |
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The Blackstone River, one of 14 American
Heritage Rivers, flows between Worcester, Massachusetts and
Providence Rhode Island. The John H. Chafee Blackstone River
Valley National Heritage Corridor tells the story of the
river's role in starting New England's textile industry and
the American Industrial Revolution. |
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9:00 am Breakfast
at the Modern Diner |
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Your day begins at the Modern Diner in
Pawtucket with a full breakfast. The diner is a custom-built
Sterling Streamliner that was produced in the late 1930s and
1940s. It is the first diner to earn the distinction of
being placed on the National Register of Historic Places and
the food is great. |
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10:00 am
Drive through Scenic Mill Villages |
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This driving tour takes us through the
scenic mill villages of Lonsdale, Ashton and Albion along
the Blackstone River Valley. Then we'll move on to the Great
Road Historic District in Lincoln, RI, which was laid out as
a colonial highway in 1683, connecting Providence, Rhode
Island with Mendon, Massachusetts. This historic road
features a veritable trip through three centuries of
American history with two 17th century stone-enders, a 1704
Quaker Meeting House, the 1812 Moffet Mill - a rare example
of an early wooden mill - the 1812 Butterfly Mill, one of
the state's earliest stone textile mills and an 1810 Federal
mansion. |
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12:00 pm
Lunch at the Village Haven |
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At the Village Haven you will have the
"Chicken Family Style". This Valley tradition started in the
1930's among the Italian immigrants playing Bocco on Sunday
afternoons. Its a hearty meal that is served only in the
Valley.
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1:30 pm
An Elegant Industrial Village |
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It's appearance is deceptive; it looks like
a classic New England Village, complete with a common lined
with lovely, old homes. Slatersville is America's first
planned industrial village built between 1803 and 1807 by
the Slater brothers. This concept of providing housing for
workers was adopted by other textile manufacturers and the
industrialization of the Valley began. |
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3:30 pm
The Most Magnificent Industrial Mansions in the Eighteenth
Century |
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Our day will end in Providence at the John
Brown House Museum. Restored and furnished with the finest
examples of Rhode Island furniture and decorative arts and
Brown family pieces. John Brown House was built in 1786 to
reflect its owners wealth and position. An entrepreneur,
privateer, slave trader, Atlantic and China trade merchant,
John Brown used his profits from the shipping interest to
invest in textile mills on the Blackstone River. |
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This is a guided tour.
Tour Operator
Price: $32.
The price is based on a minimum of
37 people.
To schedule a tour contact:
Patti McAlpine
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
Blackstone Valley Visitor Center
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860
info@tourblackstone.com
800-454-2882 |
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