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Tour of the
Week - Blackstone River Valley
Rhode Island, New England, USA
March 16, 2007
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 is the centerpiece of the 400,000-acre
Blackstone River Valley. One of 14 American Heritage
Rivers, the powerful Blackstone flows between Worcester,
Massachusetts and Providence Rhode Island. As a special kind of
place called a national heritage corridor, it 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 Modern Diner - Ambiance
Over Easy |
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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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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 |
| 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 Elegent
Industrial Village |
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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 Mansions in the 18th 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:
Lilly Kayamba
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
Blackstone Valley Visitor Center
175 Main Street
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860
BVTCLilly@aol.com
800-454-2882
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