April 24, 2023
The Blackstone River Bikepath, a National Recreation Trail I hiked earlier this month, runs through the National Heritage Corridor and right past the Historic Towpath. I noticed the towpath during my hike, and I came back today on my way to other Rhode Island sites and walked the short length of it.
The towpath is located behind the barn at the Capt. Wilbur Kelly House Museum in Lincoln, RI. This section is what is left of the original canal/towpath used to transport goods from Worcester, MA to Pawtucket, RI from 1828 to about 1848. Canal boats were pulled by horses for those twenty years until trains ushered in a new era of transport.
The National Park System calls the Blackstone River Valley Heritage Corridor the “American Industrial Revolution’s birthplace.” It lies between Worcester and Providence, and is the first area in the States to utilize mills and water power. Slater Mill, the first American textile mill, is located in this corridor. I visited that next and will write about it in a future post.
