The Slater Mill Historic Site in Pawtucket, Rhode Island is a part of the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park. The site is also associated with the John H. Chafee Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor. National Heritage Corridors are special affiliated sites in the National Park System that brings together numerous state and local sites under a unifying thematic umbrella defined by the National Park Service.
Samuel Slater is known as the father of the American Industrial Revolution. He was called in the United Kingdom “Slater the Traitor” because he brought the UK system of textile manufacturing to the United States. He was instrumental in designing early textile mills and eventually went into business himself.
There are three main sites encompassing the Slater Mill location. Slater Mill itself was built in 1793 and is now a museum containing more than twenty machines built from 1775 – 1922 demonstrating how cotton is made into cloth.
The smallest building on site is the Sylvanus Brown House, the oldest building on site.
The Wilkinson Mill was built in 1810 and is larger and more advanced than the older Slater Mill.
The site is a great way to learn about the early American Industrial Revolution. I would suggest you continue to explore the rest of the Blackstone Valley National Historical Park and also make a stop at the Lowell National Historical Park in neighboring Massachusetts.
