State, federal and local tourism officials have for years been working to make the Blackstone Valley and its attractions a source of economic stimulus, but even with a national park designation added almost a decade ago and a growing national interest in heritage tourism, they acknowledge it still isn't easy.
Heritage tourism has paid dividends for Rhode Island’s economy, bringing in 9.8 million annual visitors and $1.4 billion in spending, according to a 2018 study by Place Economics commissioned by Preserve RI.
Meanwhile, the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park – the state’s only national park that now encompasses several historic sites spanning 24 cities and towns in Rhode Island and Massachusetts – drew over 25,000 visitors last year, according to park officials.
Robert Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, remains confident that a valley that was a manufacturing engine can become a major tourism attraction for Rhode Island with the help of the national historical park designation, given the growing interest in heritage tourism.
“A place has nothing unless it tells a story. And Pawtucket drips with the story of the Industrial Revolution,” he said. “Its importance is immense.”
But Billington said the partnership between the National Park Service and local organizations such as the Old Slater Mill Association, which preserved and maintained the historic Pawtucket site for 100 years, is still evolving.
The national historical park was designated by Congress in 2014, and the National Park Service acquired the Slater Mill site – which includes two other historic buildings along the Blackstone River in downtown Pawtucket – two years ago.
“That transition is still going on,” said Billington. “There are still no [federal park] signs on the highways.”
That said, there are encouraging signs.
Kevin Klyberg, BRVNHP director of interpretation and education, says he's noticed an uptick in out-of-state visitors who hold national park "passports,” in which travelers get stamps for every site they visit nationwide.
Klyberg said total visits to Slater Mill alone for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30 will likely exceed last year’s 12,000 visitors, topping 15,000 after Labor Day weekend, historically a busy holiday for national parks.
And he said he expects more arrivals with the opening of the Wilkinson Mill at the Slater Mill site. The 1810 stone mill, in which some of the old machinery can still be powered by the river, has been closed until it is brought up to federal Americans with Disabilities Act standards. No date for reopening has been set.
Before NPS took control, visitors had to pay an entry fee to the Slater Mill, built in 1793. Now the park service is adding free events such as walking tours that can boost surrounding businesses because visitors are more apt to use their unspent money at local shops and restaurants.
“Those extra dollars go a long way,” Klyberg said.
It's not helping that local businesses in Blackstone Valley are still grappling with challenges such as staffing shortages, according to Elizabeth Catucci, Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce CEO and president.
She believes more people are visiting Blackstone Valley as traveling activity kicks up nationwide. However, shoring up staffing “has become a major focus” for Chamber members of late.
A short distance away from the Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket, Nick Damou uses an unscientific tool to measure the amount of out-of-town customers that visit his Modern Diner: he checks license plates in the parking lot.
In a way, eating at the diner is an act of heritage tourism itself. It was the first diner listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the oldest known Sterling Streamliner diner still in operation.
Damou said the business, which is popular with the college crowd and has a group of dedicated regulars, is typically slower in the summer season.
This summer, however, Damou has seen an increase in plates from neighboring Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. Some customers are from much farther away. Earlier that day, he said, he had served a large group of French tourists.
“Things have picked up,” he said.
