Cultural Attractions

Bringing Heritage to Life

The preservation of the folk and cultural traditions of the Blackstone River Valley are important to retaining a true sense of who we are and celebrating the ethnic makeup of the region. The Heritage Corridor Commission supports activities that perpetuate an understanding of valley heritage - traditional music, dance, language, crafts and trades that connect us to our past.

The further development of the creative community in the Corridor also contributes to a vibrant economy and the chance to bring new life to older buildings and community centers. Bringing heritage to life through the arts is one of the ways we celebrate the Valley for its authentic resources, cultural heritage and natural beauty.

Natural Features & Ecosystems

The Blackstone River
The major natural feature of the Hertiage Corridor is the Blackstone River. Along its 46-mile course from Worcester to Providence, the Blackstone features dozens of places where people can get to the river - for canoeing or kayaking, picnicking, walking, or to just enjoy the natural and historic scenery.

The Blackstone River drops an astounding 438 feet in just 46 miles - an average of over 9.5 feet per mile. This drop in elevation - along with the river's relatively narrow width and its naturally meandering path - provided a resource that could be easily harnessed for generating water power beginning in the 17th Century.

The Blackstone River was the engine that powered the beginnings of the American Industrial Revolution. Today structures related to waterpower and early transportation- dams, ponds, mills, canals, locks and the related mill villages, towns and cities are all integral parts of the Blackstone Valley riverscape.

Today, the Blackstone River is used more for recreation than for industry. Traveling down the Blackstone River provides a unique opportunity to experience the valley's diverse cultural and natural landscapes - the mills, associated mill villages, canals, locks and dams - in a way not possible on foot or by car.

In three stretches of the river, canoeists can paddle in watered canal segments and at a handful of places they can walk to remaining canal lock structures.

The industrial heritage of the Blackstone River left behind a fascinating but challenging river to paddle. Impoundments of the river, both for power production and for flood control, have transformed it into a series of ponds connected by short stretches of free-flowing river.

You can get involved with bringing back the Blackstone and find out about the Blackstone River Coalition and current activities along the River that are part of ZAP! the Blackstone river recovery efforts.

Get Involved

The Blackstone River Renewal

Thirty years ago, one of the most significant environmental events in our country's history took place on our historic Blackstone River…

Over 10,000 volunteers, more than 500 businesses and scores of governmental and non-profit agencies staged a massive clean-up of the Blackstone River from south-central Massachusetts to Narragansett Bay on September 9, 1972. The Providence Journal Company was the lead agent responsible for coordinating and mobilizing this monumental effort termed Project ZAP! The ZAP! initiative was the threshold of three decades of environmental activism along the Blackstone River.

In 2000, the Corridor Commision and their partners held the Expedition 2000 and a new ZAP the Blackstone campaign was launched. To help coordinate this effort, the new Blackstone River Coalition was created.

The Blackstone River Coalition is made up of various organizations that are working to revitalize the Blackstone River and improve the health of the Blackstone River Watershed. These organizations include state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, municipalities, and businesses.

Everyone in the Coalition is working in different ways to improve the quality of the river, from grass-roots volunteers keeping the riverbanks free of debris to business owners recognizing the value of a clean river to successful commercial ventures. Government agencies are working with watershed groups to improve water quality and local educators are using the river as an outdoor classroom.

The Blackstone River Coalition is working to make the Blackstone River "Fishable and Swimmable by 2015". You can join one of the environmental groups working to bring back the Blackstone and receive a limited edition Eastern Brook Trout Pin to show everyone you are part of the new ZAP! the Blackstone generation.

Please click here to find out more about ZAP! the Blackstone, the Blackstone River Coalition, and what's happening along the River.

SUPPORT YOUR PARK

The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a partnership park, and we are constantly seeking new partners to work with. To learn about some of the ways you can work with the Heritage Corridor, please visit www.CorridorKeepers.org

Volunteer

The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor has a very active Volunteer In Parks (VIP) program. Corridor volunteers can be found across the Blackstone Valley doing everything from river clean ups to interpretive tours.

The Volunteers-in-Parks Program aims to create a mutually rewarding experience for the volunteer and the Park Service. Our growing Volunteers-in-Parks program has a dual purpose. It provides the ever-growing number of heritage sites in the Blackstone Valley with volunteers, and it provides volunteers the opportunity to communicate with visitors and to give of themselves.

Volunteers can be scheduled on a regular basis at a specific site or help with a specific one-time event. In appreciation of their efforts, volunteers are provided with VIP uniforms, hats and nameplates. Monthly meeting are held at different sites so volunteers can get to know each other and become familiar with the various sites within the Blackstone Valley.

For more information, or to join please contact Ranger Suzanne Buchanan at (401) 762-0440.

Restoring the River

The Blackstone: A River Reborn

The Blackstone River is the heart of the Valley's history, and its rebirth. Once neglected and polluted, the Blackstone is coming back. Federal and state agencies have made an ongoing investment in improving the water quality and ecology of the river

Grassroots efforts have protected the Blackstone Gorge and other scenic areas throughout the Valley. New river access points and other improvements are helping a wide range of people enjoy the river. The Blackstone River Bikeway - which parallels the river - is well on its way, improving access and increasing public awareness of this valuable resource. Community development is also increasing along the river. All of these developments point toward a new Blackstone River - one that serves as a source of pride for the entire Valley.

Today, the Blackstone River is classified as Class C, suitable for boating and other secondary contact recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and industrial processing and cooling. A major goal of the Corridor Commission is a pollution-free river - to enable Valley residents to take full advantage of the recreational opportunities on and along the river and to contribute to the quality of life in Valley communities.

In 2000, the Corridor Commission and its partners held Expedition 2000 - a four-day trip down the Blackstone River from Worcester, MA to Pawtucket, RI to raise awareness about the River and its issues and to explore opportunities for its renewal with the help of local, state and federal partnership projects.

This event also launched the ZAP! the Blackstone river campaign to focus efforts along the river to improve its water quality and public access - resulting in a cleaner, vibrant river.

Currently, the Corridor Commission is working with many partners to improve the river through organizing water quality monitoring programs, sponsoring river events, doing cleanups, building river access sites, and providing the public with information and a hands-on approach to river improvement.

Your Dollars At Work

The Heritage Corridor Commission supports projects throughout the Blackstone River Valley by providing funding through our Heritage Partnership Program. In 2006 $498,000 was awarded to the Corridor Commission through the National Park Service's federal appropriations. These funds are critical to telling the national story of the Blackstone.

The projects and programs funded in FY2006 help to support the Corridor's goals of historic preservation, community revitalization, ecological restoration, land use planning, riverway development and educating people about the Valley's heritage.

All 24 Corridor communities from Providence, RI to Worcester, MA will benefit from the funds provided to enhance the Blackstone Valley. Region-wide projects such as tourism marketing and development, special events and festivals, hospitality training, Riverway restoration and development and educational programming reach everyone.

The following projects were approved by the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission on February 23, 2006:

Historic Preservation:

Daniels Farm Foundation, "Daniels Farm, Blackstone, MA: Construction Documents for stabilization/preservation of Main House," $5,000: to assist in funding construction documents to focus on stabilization / preservation work identified as "high priority" in the Historic Structure Condition Assessment prepared by the NPS Architectural Preservation Division

ZAP the Blackstone, "Implementing the Fishable/Swimmable Campaign," $15,000; Support the work of the Blackstone River Coalition.

Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, "Flood Impacts Visualized," $10,000: to produce an interactive map to show the flooding that occurred in October 2005 as well as flooding at different stages and to provide for a public forum to present the project.

Blackstone Valley Paddle Club, "Paddle Club," $10,000: to support the self-sustainability of a partner managed paddle club in 2006.

Corridor Keepers, "2006 Greenway Challenge," $25,000: to support the recreational event this promotes awareness and support for environmental projects, river, bikeway and historic sites along the route.

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Metacomet Land Trust and Blackstone River Coalition, "Riverway Land Protection," $50,000: to move forward in securing priority properties necessary to complete river access planning and properties associated with preservation of the Blackstone Canal.

Tourism:

BV Chamber of Commerce and Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, "Tourism Campaign VI," $45,000: to support bi-state tourism marketing and promotion of the Heritage Corridor.

BV Chamber of Commerce and Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, "Distribution and Calendar of Events," $25,000: to support the development of a Calendar of Events and the distribution of marketing collateral across the valley.

Interpretation and Education:

City of Worcester, Worcester Historical Museum, Greater Worcester County CVB, "Northern Gateway Visitor Center exhibits," $100,000: to support the on-going development of the Northern Gateway Visitor Center, particularly to fund the development of exhibits in the facility.

Blackstone River Theatre, "Sustainability & Expansion of the Theatre Programming," $15,000: support for programming in music, dance and folk arts traditions.

Worcester Historical Museum, "Industrial History of the Blackstone Valley," $10,000: to produce a comprehensive historical book on the Blackstone Valley.

"Environmental Education Programming," $7,500: to support the offering of environmental education programs.

Connectors:

Heritage Corridor "Communication and Public Outreach Strategy," $10,000: Public outreach and promotion of events throughout 2006.

Heritage Corridor "Sign Program," $25,000: to cover a portion of the high priority projects on the sign program list throughout the Blackstone Valley. Heritage Corridor

"Footsteps in History: Associated Training Element," $10,000: to provide a training component that is an aspect of networking programs among sites leading up to and benefiting the presentation of Footsteps.

Heritage Corridor "Blackstone Valley Virtual Library," $5,000: to work with a university partner to pursue the best method of collecting reports, projects, research and other materials and present them via the web.

Heritage Corridor "Special Events," $7,500: support community and non-profit organization events that promote Corridor's goals.

Heritage Corridor "Blackstone Valley Academic Trust," $10,000: to support the goal of integrating the Blackstone Valley colleges and universities efforts with the goals of the Corridor Commission.

City of Worcester "Worcester Projects Publication,: $10,000: to develop a publication that will express the nature and scope of the related projects in Worcester, promoting the connections between them.

Heritage Corridor Annual Report, $8,000

Heritage Corridor Annual Dinner, $10,000

Heritage Landscape Inventory

Ten Blackstone Valley communities in Massachusetts participated in the program and, at a series of community meetings, identified hundreds of heritage landscapes throughout the Valley. Over 50 particularly significant and/or vulnerable landscapes were surveyed at a more intensive level. Each community received a reconnaissance report, which includes recommendations about how to protect its high priority landscapes. 

Environmental Factors

In the Blackstone River Valley, natural resources and the systems that link them - geology, hydrology and habitats - are important to the historic and cultural landscapes that we value and wish to preserve. Preserving key natural landscapes enhances historic settings and protects the natural systems that are shared throughout the Valley and are vital to the region's health.

The Blackstone River Valley contains unique natural and cultural resources that offer special opportunities for preservation. It is a rich patchwork of natural resources, including forests, meadows, vernal pools, wetlands, rivers and tributaries. In addition, the Valley holds a distinctive combination of historic landscapes that include urban centers, towns, villages, mills and farms.

Few places exist where such a concentration of historic, cultural and natural resources have survived, are so fully integrated and are accessible to the public.