Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park

Samuel Slater built his first textile mill along the Blackstone River in Pawtucket in 1793, and what happened next changed how Americans worked and where they lived. The Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park — established by President Obama in 2014 — preserves that story across sites spanning Rhode Island and Massachusetts, from Slater Mill through company towns Slater founded after his initial success. Start at Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket, where Park Rangers run guided tours of the building that touched off American industrialization.