Slatersville, Rhode Island
Encyclopedia
Slatersville is a village on the Branch River
in the town of North Smithfield
, Rhode Island
, United States
. It includes the Slatersville Historic District, a historic district
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Slatersville was associated with and named for Samuel Slater
and John Slater
.
The region was originally settled in the 17th century by British colonists as a farming community. The village was founded in 1803 by entrepreneurs Samuel
and John Slater
, in partnership with the Providence firm of Almy and Brown. The firm purchased the land and began construction of a textile mill
. By 1807, the village included the Slatersville Mill, "the largest and most modern industrial building" of its day, two houses for workers, the owner's house and the company store. When the first mill building was destroyed by fire in 1826, it was replaced by the large stone mill which stands on the site today. Behind the 1826 mills stands a stone mill of similar design built in 1843. The mills were powered by water from the large Slatersville reservoir. Slatersville's village green
was laid out in 1838 in a traditional New England
pattern. Many of the houses around the Green were built by the Slater company in 1810-20. They were substantially renovated earlier in the 20th century to make Slatersville look more like a traditional New England Village. At the head of the Green stands the Slatersville Congregational Church, a steepled Greek revival building, which houses the oldest continuously operated Sunday School in America. The Slater family owned the village until 1900 when it was sold to James R. Hooper who used the mills to bleach and dye cloth. In 1915, Hooper sold the Slatersville village to Henry P. Kendall. Kendall took a personal interest in the village and initiated many of the improvements which give Slatersville its traditional New England character. Today, Slatersville is now owned by private individuals and in 1973 it became a National Historic District, bounded by Main, Green, Church, and School Sts. and Ridge Rd., with 3100 acres (12.5 km²), 149 buildings.
Branch River (Rhode Island)
The Branch River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 16 km . There are six dams along the river's length. The river provided energy for many of the regions textile mills in the nineteenth century.-Course:...
in the town of North Smithfield
North Smithfield, Rhode Island
North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterford, Branch Village, Union Village, Park Square, and...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It includes the Slatersville Historic District, a historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Slatersville was associated with and named for Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution", or the "Father of the American Factory System" because he brought British textile technology to America. He learned textile machinery as an apprentice to a pioneer in the British...
and John Slater
John Slater (industrialist)
John Slater was an early American industrialist, founder of Slatersville, Rhode Island and younger brother of Samuel Slater, father of the American Industrial Revolution.-Biography:...
.
History
Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution", or the "Father of the American Factory System" because he brought British textile technology to America. He learned textile machinery as an apprentice to a pioneer in the British...
and John Slater
John Slater (industrialist)
John Slater was an early American industrialist, founder of Slatersville, Rhode Island and younger brother of Samuel Slater, father of the American Industrial Revolution.-Biography:...
, in partnership with the Providence firm of Almy and Brown. The firm purchased the land and began construction of a textile mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
. By 1807, the village included the Slatersville Mill, "the largest and most modern industrial building" of its day, two houses for workers, the owner's house and the company store. When the first mill building was destroyed by fire in 1826, it was replaced by the large stone mill which stands on the site today. Behind the 1826 mills stands a stone mill of similar design built in 1843. The mills were powered by water from the large Slatersville reservoir. Slatersville's village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
was laid out in 1838 in a traditional New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
pattern. Many of the houses around the Green were built by the Slater company in 1810-20. They were substantially renovated earlier in the 20th century to make Slatersville look more like a traditional New England Village. At the head of the Green stands the Slatersville Congregational Church, a steepled Greek revival building, which houses the oldest continuously operated Sunday School in America. The Slater family owned the village until 1900 when it was sold to James R. Hooper who used the mills to bleach and dye cloth. In 1915, Hooper sold the Slatersville village to Henry P. Kendall. Kendall took a personal interest in the village and initiated many of the improvements which give Slatersville its traditional New England character. Today, Slatersville is now owned by private individuals and in 1973 it became a National Historic District, bounded by Main, Green, Church, and School Sts. and Ridge Rd., with 3100 acres (12.5 km²), 149 buildings.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence County, Rhode Island
Further reading
- History You Can See - Scenes of Change In Rhode Island 1790-1910 written by Hadassah Davis and Natalie Robinson and published by the League of Rhode Island Historical Societies, Providence, 1986.
- Working Water - A Guide to the Historic Landscape of the Blackstone River Valley published by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Rhode Island Parks Association, 1987.
External links
- The Slatersville Mill Village page on Samuel Slater website
- National Register of Historic Places information