Burrillville is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an o ...
in
Providence County
Providence County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 660,741, or 60.2% of the state's population. Providence County contains the city of Providence, the state cap ...
,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
, United States. The population was 16,158 at the
2020 census.
It was incorporated as an independent municipality on November 17, 1806 when the
Rhode Island General Assembly
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...
authorized the residents of then
North Glocester to elect its own officers. The town was named for 19th century
United States senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...
James Burrill, Jr. who was then the Rhode Island
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
.
History
Burrillville was probably first settled sometime around 1662, when the first Europeans began to settle the
Nipmuc
The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who historically spoke an Eastern Algonquian language. Their historic territory Nippenet, "the freshwater pond place," is in central Massachusetts and nearby part ...
lands.
The Town was originally a part of
Glocester,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
.
John Smith and members of the Saulsbury family were among the earliest settlers.
Samuel Willard (physician)
Samuel Willard (April 13, 1748 – March 7, 1801) was an American physician who established the first hospital for mental illness in the United States.
Early life and career
Samuel Willard, the son of Dr. Nahum Willard of Lancaster, Massachusetts ...
treated many smallpox victims in South Uxbridge and Glocester (Burrillville), and he had the scars to prove it.
In 1806, The Town of Burrillville became a separate town and consisted of of land in the northwest corner of Rhode Island, bordering Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Later Boundary disputes with Massachusetts and Glocester reduced this land area by the mid-19th century.
Joktan Putnam was the first
town moderator
Town meeting is a form of local government in which most or all of the members of a community are eligible to legislate policy and budgets for local government. It is a town- or city-level meeting in which decisions are made, in contrast with ...
.
The Nipmuc word for snake was rendered "askug" by
Roger Williams
Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantatio ...
in his ''
A Key Into the Language of America,'' and "askoog" by the Reverend
John Eliot in his Algonquian translation of the Bible. Burrillville's principal village,
Pascoag
Pascoag is a census-designated place (CDP) and village in Providence County, Rhode Island. The population was 4,577 at the 2010 census. Pascoag is one of eight villages that make up the town of Burrillville.
Geography
Pascoag is located at (41. ...
, named after the stream upon which it is located, probably derives from this Algonquian root. Gradually in the early-to-mid-19th century, the various mills and villages took shape such as Harris mills, and the village of Harrisville, Mapleville mills, Oakland mills etc.
Buck Hill was known for a colorful band of counterfeiters.
The town is today part of the
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a National Heritage Corridor dedicated to the history of the early American Industrial Revolution, including mill towns stretching across 24 cities and towns (400,000 acres ...
, New England's, historic National Park area.
Burrillville was home to many historic mills, many of which have either been burned, demolished, abandoned or renovated. The Stillwater Mill Complex in Harrisville is home to the Clocktower apartments, which used to be the old Tinkham textile mills (factual content requested). The site is also home to the recently built Jesse Smith Library.
Until 1846 the Sherman Farm was owned by the family. It totaled over and was once the largest fruit and dairy farm in the state. The farmhouse had 32 rooms.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, the town has a total area of 57.2 square miles (148.0 km
2), of which, 55.6 square miles (143.9 km
2) of it is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km
2) of it (2.76%) is water.
Villages
Burrillville is further divided into villages:
Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''.
It may refer to:
Places Australia
*Glendale, New South Wales
** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre
* Glendale, Queensland, ...
,
Harrisville,
Mapleville,
Nasonville,
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...
, and
Pascoag
Pascoag is a census-designated place (CDP) and village in Providence County, Rhode Island. The population was 4,577 at the 2010 census. Pascoag is one of eight villages that make up the town of Burrillville.
Geography
Pascoag is located at (41. ...
.
Climate
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
of 2000, there were 15,796 people, 5,559 households, and 4,252 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,821 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.56%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 0.22%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.20%
Native American, 0.22%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.25% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.53% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population.
There were 5,559 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. Of all households 18.8% were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,587, and the median income for a family was $58,979. Males had a median income of $39,839 versus $28,835 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $21,096. About 3.7% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government
In the
Rhode Island Senate
The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of wh ...
, Burrillville is a part of the 23rd District and is currently represented by
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Jessica De La Cruz. At the federal level in the
U.S. House of Representatives, Burrillville is in
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in southern and western Rhode Island. The district is currently represented by Democrat James Langevin, who has represented the district since January 2001.
Composition
...
, which is currently represented by Democrat
James R. Langevin.
In presidential elections, Burrillville has traditionally leaned Democratic; however, in 2016,
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
became the first Republican to win the town in over three decades when he defeated former
U.S. Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
by approximately 22 points.
Burrillville was also one of seven towns in Rhode Island where
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independe ...
candidate
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot (; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American business magnate, billionaire, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an indepe ...
finished in second place during the
1992 presidential election. Perot received 2,018 votes (31.47 percent) behind
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
's 2,454 votes (38.27 percent) and ahead of
George H. W. Bush's 1,880 (29.32 percent).
Notable people
*
Vice Admiral Walter E. Carter Jr.,
naval flight officer
A naval flight officer (NFO) is a commissioned officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps who specializes in airborne weapons and sensor systems. NFOs are not pilots (naval aviators), but they may perform many "co-pilot" or ...
and President of the
U.S. Naval War College
The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...
*
Oscar Lapham
Oscar Lapham (June 29, 1837 – March 29, 1926) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Rhode Island. He served as a member of the Rhode Island Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
Early life
Lapham ...
, U.S. Congressman
*
Henry Francis Walling, cartographer
National Historic Register sites
*
Bridgeton School (1897)
*
Harrisville Historic District
*
Moses Taft House (Burrillville, Rhode Island) (1786)
*
Oakland Historic District
*
Pascoag Grammar School
The Pascoag Grammar School, also previously the Burrillville High School, is a historic school building at 265 Sayles Avenue in the Pascoag village of Burrillville, Rhode Island. The Colonial Revival school was built in 1917 by Thomas McLaughlin ...
(1917)
See also
*
References
Further reading
* ''History of the State of Rhode Island with Illustrations'', Albert J. Wright, Printer No. 79 Mille Street, corner of Federal, Boston. Hong, Wade & Co., Philadelphia 1878.
External links
Town of Burrillville official website��''History of the State of Rhode Island with Illustrations''
Burrillville History Site by Town Historian Patricia Mehrtens��
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a National Heritage Corridor dedicated to the history of the early American Industrial Revolution, including mill towns stretching across 24 cities and towns (400,000 acres ...
Nipmuck Nation website—Nipmuck tribe extended into what is today Burrilville��City-Data.com
{{authority control
Providence metropolitan area
Towns in Providence County, Rhode Island
Towns in Rhode Island