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.