Slatersville, Rhode Island: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

The region was originally settled in the 17th century by British colonists as a farming community. The village was founded in 1803 by entrepreneurs [[Samuel Slater|Samuel]] and [[John Slater (industrialist)|John Slater]], in partnership with the Providence firm of [[Moses Brown|Almy and Brown]]. The firm purchased the land and began construction of a [[cotton mill|textile mill]].<ref name=nebiker>Walter Nebiker, ''The History of North Smithfield'' (Somersworth, NH: New England History Press, 1976).</ref> By 1807, the village included the Slatersville Mill, "the largest and most modern industrial building" of its day, two houses for workers, the owner's house, and the company store.<ref name=nebiker/> The first mill building was destroyed by fire in 1826 and was replaced by the large stone mill which stands on the site today. Behind the 1826 mills stands a stone mill of similar design built in 1843. The mills were powered by water from the large Slatersville reservoir.<ref name=nebiker/> Slatersville's [[village green]] was laid out in 1838 in a traditional [[New England]] pattern. Many of the houses around the Green were built by the Slater company in 1810-20.<ref name=nebiker/> They were substantially renovated earlier in the 20th century to make Slatersville look more like a traditional New England Village. At the head of the Green stands the Slatersville Congregational Church, a steepled Greek revival building, which houses the oldest continuously operated Sunday School in America. The Slater family owned the village until 1900 when it was sold to [[James R. Hooper]], who used the mills to bleach and dye cloth. In 1915, Hooper sold the Slatersville village to [[Henry P. Kendall]]. Kendall took a personal interest in the village and initiated many of the improvements which give Slatersville its traditional New England character.<ref name=nebiker/> Today, Slatersville is owned by private individuals and, in 1973, it became a National Historic District, bounded by Main, Green, Church, and School Sts. and Ridge Rd., with {{convert|3100|acre|km2}} and 149 buildings.<ref name="nris2">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>

==Gallery==

Image:Slatersville Common and Church.jpg | Slatersville Green and the Congregational Church

Image:John Slater.JPG|[[John Slater (industrialist)|John Slater]] and Ruth Slater, co-founders of Slatersville

Image:Slatersville_Grange.jpg|[[Union Grange Hall]], built in 1897 as a chapel for the St. Luke's Episcopal Mission

Image:Branch River Bridge.JPG|Stone Arch Bridge, built in 1857, over the Branch River near the Slatersville mills. It replaced a wooden bridge built around 1800.

Image:Slater Mill North Smithfield RI.JPG|Slatersville Mill, North Smithfield, RIRhode Island

Image:Slatersville Common RI.jpg|Slatersville Common

Image:Slatersville Common.JPG|Slatersville Common

Line 51 ⟶ 53:

*[http://www.woonsocket.org/slatersville.htm The Slatersville Mill Village] page on Samuel Slater website

*[http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/RI/Providence/districts.html National Register of Historic Places information]

*[https://www.firstmillvillage.com/ Slatersville: America’s First Mill Village documentary series]

*{{curlie|Regional/North_America/United_States/Rhode_Island/Localities/S/Slatersville}}