Waterford is a village located on and around St. Paul Street in North Smithfield, Rhode Island and

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 sett ...

. The

Blackstone River The Blackstone River in the United States is a river that flows through Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is long with a drainage area of 475 mi2 (1229 km2). It drains into the tidal river, Pawtucket River at Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Pawtuck ...

and Branch River converge just south of the village. Waterford was developed in 1824 by Welcome Farnum, a

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Their various meanings depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, the Northeastern United Stat ...

entrepreneur, who purchased land, built a dam on the Branch River, and constructed the first

textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...

called Red Mill. He named the village Waterford because many of the Irish workers in his mill came from

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The last mills in the area were constructed mid-nineteenth century. Waterford is home to St. Paul's Church (1851), originally served a largely Irish population, and sits on the Rhode Island/Massachusetts border. Adjacent to the church is the church school and many businesses. File:St Paul Street School and Church a Roman Catholic parish in Blackstone MA and North Smithfield RI USA.jpg, St Paul Street School (1927) and Church (1851) straddles the border between Blackstone, Massachusetts and North Smithfield, Rhode Island File:Blackstone River dam and reservoir fishing in Blackstone Massachusetts MA USA.jpg, Fishermen on Blackstone River Dam near Massachusetts–Rhode Island border File:Blackstone River dam in Blackstone Massachusetts MA and North Smithfield RI Rhode Island USA.jpg, Blackstone River gorge in Blackstone Massachusetts, Massachusetts, and North Smithfield, Rhode Island

External links and references

*Walter Nebiker, ''The History of North Smithfield'' (Somersworth, NH: New England History Press, 1976). Villages in Providence County, Rhode Island Villages in Rhode Island Villages in Massachusetts Villages in Worcester County, Massachusetts Blackstone, Massachusetts {{RhodeIsland-geo-stub

See also

External links and references