The Blackstone Manufacturing Company Historic District encompasses the "New City" or "High Rocks" area of

Blackstone, Massachusetts Blackstone is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,208 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Providence metropolitan area. History This region was first inhabited by the Nipmuc. Blackstone was settl ...

, an industrial village associated with the Blackstone Manufacturing Company, which began operations in 1809. It includes an area roughly surrounding Butler, Canal, Church, County, Ives, Main, Mendon, Old Mendon, and School Streets. The district includes a wide variety of worker housing, as well as a granite storehouse, the only surviving company structure. The district was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1995.

Description and history

The Blackstone Manufacturing Company was founded in 1808 by investors from

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, and was one of several such companies that developed the

Blackstone River The Blackstone River is a river in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 48 mi (80 km) and drains a watershed of approximately 540 sq. mi (1,400 km2). Its long history of industrial use has left ...

industrially. Its early growth was instrumental in the growth of Blackstone Village in the 19th century. The company owned much of the land in the village, building it out as a

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

, providing housing, a school and church, and other services for its workers. Its mill was located at the end of what is now called Old Mendon Street, and included one of the first mills built anywhere in the United States after the

Slater Mill The Slater Mill is a historic water-powered textile mill complex on the banks of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, modeled after cotton spinning mills first established in England. It is the first water-powered cotton spinning mil ...

in Pawtucket. The complex now survives mainly as archaeological remnants, including filled-in raceways and other features. The company remained in independent operation until 1924, when it was acquired by the Lonsdale Company. The historic district occupies an irregular area roughly bounded on the north by Main Street and the east by Bridge Street. The eastern portion of this area is where the mill complex was located, and to its west lies a small grid of streets that were built out by the company with housing. Most of this housing took the form of tenements housing anywhere from two to six units, built with wood frames and originally finished in clapboards. There were a few single-family residences built by the company, as well as the Blackstone Inn, built about 1920, the 1836 Greek Revival Congregational Church, and two school buildings.

References

External links

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Historic districts in Worcester County, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Worcester County, Massachusetts Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Blackstone, Massachusetts

Description and history

See also

References

External links