Pawtucket is a city in
Providence County,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...
, United States. The population was 75,604 at the
2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders
Providence and
East Providence to the south,
Central Falls and
Lincoln to the north, and
North Providence to the west; to its east-northeast, the city borders the
municipalities of
Seekonk and
Attleboro
Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 census, Attleboro had a population of 46,461.
Attleboro is ...
.
Pawtucket was an early and important center of textile manufacturing; the city is home to
Slater Mill, a historic textile mill recognized for helping to found the
Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Name
The name "Pawtucket" comes from the
Algonquian word for "river fall."
History
The Pawtucket region was said to have been one of the most populous places in New England prior to the arrival of European settlers.
Native Americans would gather here to catch the salmon and smaller fish that gathered at the falls.
The first European settler here was
Joseph Jenks, who came to the region from
Lynn, Massachusetts.
He purchased about 60 acres near Pawtucket Falls in 1671,
then established a
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
and forge.
These, along with the entire town, were later destroyed during
King Philip's War
King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...
.
Other settlers followed Jenks, and by 1775 the area was home to manufacturers of muskets, linseed oil, potash, and ships.
Also around this time
Oziel Wilkinson and his family set up an
iron forge that made anchors, nails, screws, farm implements, and even cannons.
Pawtucket was an early and important center of cotton textiles during the
American Industrial Revolution.
Slater Mill, built in 1793 by
Samuel Slater on the
Blackstone River falls
Falls may refer to:
Places
* Waterfalls or rapids
* Falls, North Carolina, USA
* Falls, West Virginia, USA
Other uses
* The ropes or wires, fed through davits, that are used to secure and lower a ship's lifeboats.
* Falls (surname)
* The sepa ...
in downtown Pawtucket, was the first fully mechanized cotton-spinning mill in the United States. Slater Mill is known for developing a commercially successful production process not reliant on earlier horse-drawn processes developed in the United States. Slater constructed and operated machines for producing
yarn
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufac ...
. Other manufacturers continued, transforming Pawtucket into a center for textiles, iron working, and other products.
By the 1920s, Pawtucket was a prosperous mill town. The city had over a half-dozen movie theaters, two dozen hotels, and an impressive collection of fine commercial and residential architecture.
Perhaps the most impressive public building in Pawtucket was the
Leroy Theatre, an ornate
movie palace that was called "Pawtucket's Million Dollar Theater".
Many wealthy mill owners such as
Darius Goff built their mansions in the area.
The textile business in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...
declined during the
Great Depression with many manufacturers closing or moving their facilities
South where operations and labor were cheaper. Later in the 20th Century, Pawtucket began to lose some of its architectural heritage to the wrecking ball, including the Leroy Theatre.
Unlike numerous older
mill towns in the region, Pawtucket retained much of its industrial base. Today, goods produced in the city include lace, non-woven and elastic woven materials, jewelry, silverware, metals, and textiles.
Hasbro, one of the world's largest manufacturers of toys and games, is headquartered in Pawtucket.
File:Nathaniel Jenks House Pawtucket RI.jpg, Jencks House
File:Map of Pawtucket, Mass July 1848.jpg, Map of Pawtucket, Massachusetts, July 1848
File:Exterior View of Walcott Brothers' Manufactory, Pawtucket.jpg, Walcott Brothers' factory in 1855
File:The Times Building, Pawtucket RI.jpg, The Pawtucket Times Building
The Pawtucket Times Building is a historic building at 23 Exchange Street in the Downtown Pawtucket Historic District, historic central business district of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It was formerly the home of the ''The Times (Pawtucket), Pawtucke ...
File:Pawtucket, RI 1886 engraving.jpg, alt=Pawtucket in 1886, Pawtucket in 1886 viewed from the steeple of the Pawtucket Congregational Church
A tale of two states
Originally, the land west of the
Blackstone River was part of nearby
North Providence.
East of the Blackstone River was originally settled as part of the
town of
Rehoboth. The first Pawtucket to be incorporated was in 1828 when Rehoboth gave up their land and Pawtucket became a new town in Massachusetts.
In 1862 the eastern portion was absorbed into Providence County, Rhode Island.
On March 1, 1862, after a nearly 225-year border dispute between Rhode Island and Plymouth/Massachusetts, the area of Pawtucket and East Providence was shifted into Rhode Island, and the new border remains to this day. In 1874, the land west of the river was taken from North Providence and added to the town of Pawtucket, but acted as two different towns. Finally in 1886, West and East Pawtucket were merged and the city was incorporated.
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
An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (2.89%) is water. Pawtucket lies within three drainage basins. These include the
Blackstone River (including the Seekonk River), the
Moshassuck River and the
Ten Mile River.
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 in ...
of 2010, there were 71,141 people, 32,055 households, and 18,508 families residing in the city. Pawtucket was the fourth most populous of Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns. The population density was . There were 32,055 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 50.4%
Non-Hispanic white
Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Am ...
, 18.9% Non-Hispanic
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.60%
Native American, 1.6% Non-Hispanic
Asian, 0.10%
Pacific Islander, mixed race 3.9%, 4.7% other. About 25% of residents are Latino.
There were 32,055 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were
married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,124, and the median income for a family was $40,578. Males had a median income of $31,129 versus $23,391 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 city was $17,008. About 14.9% of families and 16.8% 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 24.5% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.
According to the 2000 census, 20.6% of Pawtucket residents are French or French-Canadian.
[Pawtucket, RI 2000 Census](_blank)
Like nearby cities Providence,
Fall River
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state.
Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...
, and
New Bedford., Pawtucket hosts a significant population from across the former
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...
(11.6%),
including a significant
Cape Verdean population.
Pawtucket is also one of the few areas of the United States with a significant
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It ...
n population, mostly refugees from
Charles Taylor's regime; Rhode Island has the highest per capita Liberian population in the country. Pawtucket has a high concentration of West Africans.
Arts and culture
The City of Pawtucket has been supportive of the arts community since 1975. On September 2, 1977,
The Beach Boys performed a concert at
Narragansett Park attended by 40,000 people, the largest concert audience in Rhode Island history. In 2017, music historians Al Gomes and Connie Watrous of Big Noise were successful in getting the street where the concert stage stood (the corner of 455 Narragansett Park Drive) officially renamed as "Beach Boys Way".
In January, 1999,
Herb Weiss, of the Planning Department, was hired to oversee the City's newly created Arts District. Through the support of then Mayor James E. Doyle and Planning Department Michael Cassidy, Weiss brought significant recognition for Pawtucket-Arts oriented development strategy. Mayor Doyle and Weiss hired researcher Ann Galligan, of Northeastern University, to create an arts and cultural plan. Over the years Pawtucket has become known as a center for arts and culture.
Several experimental/indie rock bands have recorded albums at Machines with Magnets, a recording studio and art gallery in Downtown Pawtucket. Bands that have performed or recorded here include
Battles,
Lightning Bolt,
Brown Bird
Brown Bird was an American folk music group, originally formed in 2003 in Seattle, Washington as a solo project by David Lamb. Adding and changing its membership over time, the band's final incarnation was the duo of Lamb and his wife MorganEve S ...
, and
Fang Island
Fang Island was an American indie rock band formed in Providence, Rhode Island, and based in Brooklyn, New York. The group consisted of the guitarists Jason Bartell and Chris Georges, the bass guitarist Brock Hengin and the drummer Marc St. Sauveu ...
.
One hub for arts and culture in the city is Lorraine Mills, a repurposed mill building on the eastern side of the city, which houses institutions including
Mixed Magic Theatre
Mixed Magic Theatre is a non-profit theater and performance venue at Lorraine Mills in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Mixed Magic Theatre was founded in 2000 by Bernadet and Ricard Pitts-Wiley. It was originally located in North Kingstown, Rhode Island ...
, Wage House (comedy club), Pawtucket Arts Collaborative, and Crooked Current Brewery.
Each September, the city, in conjunction with the Pawtucket Arts Festival Board of Directors, members chosen from the community, produce an annual citywide Arts Festival.
Pawtucket is home to
McCoy Stadium, where the
Pawtucket Red Sox, the
Triple-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, played from 1970 to 2020. The team was owned by
Ben Mondor until his death and was sold by his estate. The
longest professional baseball game in history, 33 innings, was played at McCoy Stadium in 1981. Pawtucket has
a history A History may refer to:
* ''A History'' (1982–1985), a compilation album by The Golden Palominos
* ''A History'' (1986–1989), a compilation album by The Golden Palominos
{{disambiguation ...
of professional baseball dating back to 1892, including the
Pawtucket Indians
The Pawtucket Indians were a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Cleveland Indians. Located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the Pawtucket Indians existed from 1966 to 1967, playing in the Eastern League. They came into existence after 196 ...
. The PawSox franchise was relocated to
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...
, to become the
Worcester Red Sox beginning with the 2021 season.
In 1934, the
Narragansett Park opened for
Thoroughbred horse racing. Until its closure in 1978, the track hosted several important races that drew some of the top horses from around the United States including
Hall of Fame members;
Seabiscuit,
War Admiral and
Gun Bow.
Parks and recreation
*
Slater Memorial Park has full recreational facilities including tennis courts and picnic areas.
* Daggett Farm
* Water Color Gallery open to the public for viewing
* Daggett House
* Marconi Garden
Education
Public schools
Public education in Pawtucket is directed by the Pawtucket School Department and contains these schools:
Senior high schools
*
Charles E. Shea
* William E. Tolman
*
Blackstone Academy Charter School
Blackstone Academy Charter School, commonly known as Blackstone Academy or BACS, is an American secondary, independent day school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The school is recognized by the state for its academic results and uses a lottery syste ...
* Jacqueline M Walsh School for the Arts
Middle schools
*
Joseph Jenks
* Samuel Slater
* Lyman B. Goff
Elementary schools
* Elizabeth Baldwin
* M. Virginia Cunningham
* Flora S. Curtis
* Curvin McCabe
* Fallon Memorial
* Nathanael Greene
* Agnes E. Little
* Potter Burns
* Francis J. Varieur
* Henry J. Winters
Catholic schools
The
Quality Hill section of Pawtucket is home to
St. Raphael Academy
Saint Raphael Academy (known colloquially as Saint Ray's, or simply, Saints) is a Roman Catholic, coeducational, college preparatory school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA. It was founded in the tradition of Saint John Baptist de Lasalle and roo ...
. It is a private college preparatory school founded on the basis of St. John the Baptist de la Salle. "Saints" is a small school consisting of roughly 500 students with a student to teacher ratio of about 15:2. The "Saints and Lady Saints" are very successful in sports including baseball, football, basketball, and softball. St. Raphael Academy is a rival of William E. Tolman. The two schools took part in a Thanksgiving Day football game that was played in McCoy Stadium for over 70 years, though game is no longer played. William E. Tolman now competes annually against its fellow Pawtucket public high school Charles E. Shea, rather than against St. Raphael Academy, a private Catholic high school.
Pawtucket was home to
Bishop Keough High School, a small all-girls catholic high school in the Fairlawn neighborhood.
The city also has three Catholic elementary schools: St. Cecilia School, St. Teresa School and Woodlawn Catholic Regional School.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Pawtucket is served by several
RIPTA
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. In ...
local bus routes plus the
R-Line.
Pawtucket/Central Falls station
Pawtucket/Central Falls station is a commuter rail station in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It opened for MBTA Commuter Rail Providence/Stoughton Line service on January 23, 2023. The station has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the North ...
on the
MBTA Commuter Rail Providence/Stoughton Line is planned to open on January 23, 2023, replacing the former station that closed in 1981.
Highways and roads
Interstate 95 and
U.S. 1
U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, ...
also traverse the western part of Pawtucket. Some of the slowest posted speeds on I-95 are in the city due to the "S-curves" near downtown. To preserve certain buildings in the city, planners snaked I-95, creating sharp bends in the highway.
Downtown Circulator
Pawtucket's Downtown Circulator was a one-way loop through downtown; it is similar to British concepts of
ring roads. A similar concept was also tried in Providence.
The circulator used East Avenue, High Street, Summer Street, Goff Avenue, Dexter Street and Park Place West. Each half of the Circulator carried one direction of U.S. 1; sections also carried westbound
RI 15 and northbound
RI 114. It was signed with a big "C" on overhead signs.
There are no longer signs for the circulator, though the road configuration remains. Providence's Downtown Ring Roads have suffered a similar fate.
Economy
Hasbro, a
Fortune 1000
The Fortune 1000 are the 1,000 largest American companies ranked by revenues, as compiled by the American business magazine '' Fortune''. It only includes companies which are incorporated or authorized to do business in the United States, and f ...
toy and game making company, is headquartered in Pawtucket.
Many healthcare, retail and insurance companies are headquartered in Pawtucket.
Fox Point Pickles, a pickling company, is headquartered in Pawtucket.
Notable people
Sister town
*
Belper
Belper is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Non-metropolitan district, local government district of Amber Valley in Derbyshire, England, located about north of Derby on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent. As w ...
,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, United Kingdom
Belper was where Samuel Slater had been apprenticed to
Jedediah Strutt, learning the secrets of
Richard Arkwright
Sir Richard Arkwright (23 December 1732 – 3 August 1792) was an English inventor and a leading entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution. He is credited as the driving force behind the development of the spinning frame, known as ...
's
Water Frame. He is sometimes known in that area as "
Slater the traitor".
Belper holds an annual town festival in honor of Pawtucket and Belper being sister towns.
See also
References
External links
*
*
*
{{authority control
Cape Verdean American history
Cities in Providence County, Rhode Island
Cities in Rhode Island
History of the textile industry
Providence metropolitan area