The City of Pawtucket was formed by combining the original settlements on both sides of the Blackstone River.
Pawtucket was incorporated as a city March 27, 1885. The city government was organized Jan. 4, 1886.The first settler was Joseph Jenks, Jr., who established a forge at the falls of the Blackstone River in 1671. Samuel Slater, in 1790, built the Arkwright models for cotton machinery that established the industry in the United States. His factory, erected in 1793, was the first successful cotton mill in America operated by water power.
The Old Slater Mill has been restored and is now a museum. It is one of Rhode Island’s most frequently visited tourist attractions.
Talk to Bob Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and you get a history lesson — the highlight of which is the important role the Blackstone River played not only in the history of the United States, but the importance it is certain to play in the resurgence of Pawtucket itself, and the rest of the Blackstone Valley.
“The river is that dynamic thread that holds the whole valley together,” Billington said. “From the Indians to the first settlers it’s a very special place in New England and what it has done for America is not understood.”
Each day, Billington is teaching more people that lesson. Last week, he said, a professor from England visited the city and its rich history.
“He told me that a preservation and regeneration of history is so important,” Billington said.
Billington is convinced that tourism is the key to Pawtucket’s economic fortunes. He’s not alone. It’s a message he has been spreading for years and it’s beginning to take hold.
Bill Nightingale, who owns Blackstone Picture Frame on East Avenue, calls Billington “a visionary.”
No one, Nightingale said, has done more for the city than Billington. For so many years, said the small business owner, people didn’t listen to Billington’s message. The message that tourism was the key to success. But now, all that is changing. The message is sinking in.
“This is a city going through the normal process — it has been deteriorating,” Nightingale said. “Walk up and down Main Street and every second window has a ‘For Rent’ sign on it. But hopefully, someday soon, it will come back. I think the key to that is tourism.”
Nightingale is right about the vacancies. There are a lot of them. There are vacancies on Main Street. There are vacancies on Summer Street. And more on East Avenue.
.But there are also success stories. The Pawtucket Red Sox play at McCoy Stadium — which is currently undergoing a massive renovation — just a couple of miles from downtown Pawtucket. Apex continues to draw thousands of loyal Rhode Islanders year after year. The infamous state Registry of Motor Vehicles, formerly located across from the State House in Providence, now calls downtown Pawtucket home and lures hundreds of motorists into the city every day. The Pawtucket YMCA is another popular draw.
The city certainly has character. Unmistakable character. You can see it in the historic churches sprinkled throughout downtown area. You can see it at the U.S. Post Office and the Sayles Public Library, a stunning granite building overlooking Summer Street. And you can see it in restaurants scattered throughout downtown, like the Riverside Diner, Tom’s Restaurant and the popular China Inn. Pawtucket is one of only a few cities that boasts of its own daily newspaper, The Times, which covers several towns in the Blackstone Valley and has operated out of downtown Pawtucket since 1885.
There are merchants banking on a revival. They are willing to invest in the future of Pawtucket. Doug Bart and Jeff Miller opened the Sandwich Stop on Main Street in June. Bart would like to see the vacancies around him filled. He would welcome the competition –the people it would bring to the downtown area.
“There are some beautiful buildings around here, but too many of them are empty,” he said. But Bart remains confident that things will soon turn in the right direction for Pawtucket. “With Providence getting bigger, I think people may start moving to the smaller cities,” said Bart.
Pawtucket Mayor James E. Doyle shares Billington’s vision. He looks at vacant buildings and sees potential, not gloom. In a sense, said the mayor, the city’s approach to economic development is backwards. Downtown will benefit when progress is made along the city’s waterfront, he said.
“We’ve got to develop the riverfront — and then we will develop downtown,” Doyle said. “We know that the future of the city involves the riverfront.”
The city is getting help for that future from the federal government, which earlier this fall approved a $742,000 grant for the construction of a ferry dock off Taft Street, just a couple of blocks from the heart of downtown. Once the dock is built, the city hopes to bring in a ferry, which will be used to transport people to Providence and back — and promote tourism in the area.
Billington said the federal money is a great start. Now the city must get the banks on board to help with the acquisition of a ferry. It’s all part of resurrecting the Blackstone River.
“All along the river, we have dilapidated mills,” Billington said. “We want to change all of that. We want to bring the Blackstone Valley to a level where we are adding to the greatness of Rhode Island.”
