CHAPTER ONE :

Study Purpose

and Background

Project Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Special Resource Study Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Planning Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
CHAPTER ONE : STUDY PURPOSE & BACKGROUND | 13

Project Overview

With the passage of Title VII of Public Law 109-338 

(October 12, 2006), the John H. Chafee Blackstone River 

Valley National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of 

2006, Congress directed the Secretary of the Interior to 

conduct a Special Resource Study (SRS) of sites and associated landscape features within the boundaries of the 

John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage 

Corridor (“Corridor”) that contribute to the understanding 

of the Corridor as the birthplace of the industrial revolution 

in the United States. The primary purpose of the SRS is to 

determine whether the resources being evaluated meet the 

criteria for inclusion as a unit or units of the National Park 

System.

This legislation also extended the Corridor Commission 

(“Commission”) an additional fi ve years until 2011 and 

authorized development funds through 2016. By 2011, the 

Commission will have been in operation for 25 years. The 

SRS is being undertaken concurrently with an update to the 

Corridor’s 1998 management plan, which is also required 

under this public law.

By law (Public Law 91-383 §8 as amended by §303 of 

the National Parks Omnibus Management Act (Public Law 

105-391)) and NPS policy, potential new units of the National Park System must 1) possess nationally signifi cant 

resources, 2) be a suitable addition to the system, 3) be a 

feasible addition to the system, and 4) require direct NPS 

management or administration instead of alternative protection by other agencies or the private sector.

National Park Service policy requires that a special 

resource study be accompanied by an Environmental Assessment (EA), prepared in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 

as amended (NEPA) and its implementing regulations (36 

CFR 1500-1508), and Director’s Order #12, Conservation 

Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis, and DecisionMaking (2001), and accompanying Handbook. This document also fulfi lls the requirements of Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended 

(NHPA), and has been prepared in accordance with the 

implementing regulations of the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation (36 CFR Part 800) and NPS Director’s 

Order #28: Cultural Resources Management (DO-28) and 

accompanying Handbook. Since a study presents management alternatives at a broad level, the EA is similarly broad 

and the analysis is general in nature. Implementation of any 

action alternative would come only after action by Congress, and in the event that Congress authorizes the National Park Service to implement an alternative, the fi rst 

order of business would be a general management planning 

process.

The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary team 

consisting of staff from the Northeast Region of the National Park Service (NPS) and the Commission. The study 

has been prepared in consultation with members of the 

Commission and other key stakeholders.

John H. Chafee Blackstone River 

Valley National Heritage Corridor

History and Background

In September 1983, Congress directed the NPS to assist 

the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island in their efforts to develop a linear park system along the Blackstone 

River. NPS was also asked to assess whether the Blackstone 

River Valley (“Valley”) might be eligible for inclusion in 

the National Park System and to explore ideas for cooperative conservation efforts. The study, Blackstone River 

Corridor Study: Conservation Options – draft, was completed through a joint effort of the National Park Service, 

the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management, and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental 

Management in 1984. The assessment found that the Valley’s resources were nationally signifi cant and that its resources and representative themes were underrepresented 

in the National Park System. Public support was evident 

for a limited federal role in the Blackstone River Valley that 

emphasized federal recognition, coordinating interstate efforts, mediating use confl icts in the river valley (e.g. energy and industrial uses versus public use of the river), and 

studying and interpreting the valley’s historical resources.

The study proposed three long-term conservation options for the Blackstone Valley. One called for continuing 

and expanding the local efforts underway at the time. A 

second called for an increased commitment on the part of 

both states to coordinate their linear park proposals with 

technical assistance from the National Park Service. Finally, a third proposal called for formal federal recognition 

and assistance that would not involve federal land acquisition or direct management.

Congress established the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor in November 1986 for the pur14 | BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY

pose of “preserving and interpreting for educational and 

inspirational benefi t of present and future generations the 

unique and signifi cant contributions to our national heritage of certain historic and cultural lands, waterways and 

structures within the states of Massachusetts and Rhode 

Island.”3 The Corridor was to provide “a management 

framework to assist the states of Massachusetts and Rhode 

Island and their units of local government in the development and implementation of integrated cultural, historical 

and land resource management programs in order to retain, 

enhance and interpret the signifi cant values of the lands, 

waters and structures of the Corridor.”4 In November 1999, 

Congress renamed the Corridor the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor in honor of 

the late senator who championed it.5

Initially encompassing all or part of 19 municipalities in 

MA and RI, the Corridor was expanded in 1996 and now 

encompasses all or part of 24 communities from Worcester, MA to Providence, RI. The Corridor contains approximately 400,000 acres of land and is home to nearly 600,000 

people.

The Corridor’s establishing legislation authorized the 

creation of an operating commission for an initial fi ve years 

and provided for a possible fi ve-year extension, which the 

Commission was granted. In 1996, Congress extended the 

Commission for ten more years, followed in 2006 with a 

fi nal fi ve-year extension requiring that the Commission 

cease operation in October 2011. The Commission would 

be responsible for the preparation and implementation of 

a management plan for the Corridor. Major management 

plans were completed for the Corridor in 1989 and 1998. 

Inventories of cultural and natural resources have also been 

completed.

According to a 2005 analysis prepared by the NPS Conservation Study Institute:6

The Commission set an ambitious agenda for 

the Corridor: heritage education, recreation 

development, ethnic and cultural conservation, 

environmental conservation, historic preservation, 

land use planning, and heritage-based economic 

development. Its most widely used tools in advancing 

the regional vision have been (1) public education; 

3 Public Law 99-647 An Act to Establish the Blackstone River Valley National 

Heritage Corridor in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

4 Ibid.

5 P.L. 106-113, Approved Nov. 29, 1999, (113 Stat. 1501).

6 The National Park Service established the Conservation Study Institute to help 

the agency and its partners stay in touch with the evolving fi eld of conservation, and 

to develop more sophisticated partnerships, new tools for community engagement, 

and new strategies for the 21st century.

(2) partnerships that pool local, state, and national 

resources; and (3) targeted investments that focus 

scarce public and private dollars on highly visible 

projects that reinforce the valley’s national story and 

build local pride and enthusiasm.7

Since 1987 the Commission has received a total of 

$23,638,600 from NPS funding programs to implement 

its management plan, of which $20 million required a 1:1 

match. Financial and in-kind commitments from the two 

states, other federal agencies, communities, the private sector, and non-profi t organizations have increased the Commission’s funds an estimated 22-fold – a public and private 

investment exceeding $500 million that contributes to the 

Corridor’s goals and is either directly or indirectly attributable to Commission action.

In 2004, the Commission initiated the Blackstone Sustainability Study to evaluate the past 18 years of work in 

the Corridor and to serve as a foundation for dialogue 

about its future management. The study was completed by 

staff from and consultants to the National Park Service’s 

Conservation Study Institute based in Woodstock, Vermont. The Commission asked the Institute to evaluate four 

aspects of its work:

1. Commission accomplishments and progress in 

achieving strategies and goals established by the 

1989 Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan

2. National Park Service investment and additional 

monies leveraged as a result

3. Further actions and commitments that are needed to 

protect, enhance, and interpret the Corridor

4. The Commission form of management, identifying 

and evaluating options for a permanent NPS 

designation and other management alternatives for 

achieving the national interest in the Blackstone 

Valley.

At the heart of the Sustainability Study fi ndings and recommendations is this key statement:

At this critical point in the evolution of the Corridor’s 

partnership system, there is a clear need to sustain 

an effective coordinating framework for the Corridor 

that bridges the 2 states and 24 munitcipalities and 

supports the partnership system. This includes (1) 

a strong management entity to carry forward the 

vision, provide effective collaborative leadership, 

7 Tuxill, Jacquelyn L., Nora J. Mitchell, Philip B. Huffman, Daniel Laven, Suzanne Copping, and Gayle Gifford. Refl ecting on the Past, Looking to the Future: 

Sustainability Study Report. A Technical Assistance Report to the John H. Chafee 

Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission. Woodstock, Vermont: Conservation Study Institute. 2005. P. 18.
CHAPTER ONE : STUDY PURPOSE & BACKGROUND | 15

and serve as the central network hub; (2) an ongoing 

relationship with the NPS, given the Corridor’s welldocumented national signifi cance; and (3) secure, 

sustainable funding from diverse sources.8

Special Resource Study Process

Project Scoping

Internal project scoping for the special resource study 

process was initiated in spring 2007 with a series of staff 

meetings, site visits, and consultations with the Commission. As outlined below the study team consulted with 

industrial heritage scholars, staff from the National Park 

Service’s Conservation Study Institute, community leaders, and other stakeholders to better defi ne the scope of the 

study in terms of both its geography and the key issues 

to be addressed. Impact topics identifi ed for analysis as a 

result of project scoping can be found in Chapter Five: Environmental Consequences.

Defi ning the Study Area

One of the fi rst questions the study team had to consider 

was the geographic scope of the study. The key question 

was whether the resource study would examine the Blackstone River Valley as a whole or focus on one or more individual sites within the region. To assist in making this 

determination, the study team invited a group of six academic scholars to participate in a site visit and workshop 

in February 2008 that took a fresh look at the industrial 

heritage of the Blackstone River Valley. (A list of the participating scholars appears in the Appendix of this report.) 

The study team asked the scholars to be prepared to discuss 

the following questions:

1. How do historians understand or defi ne the 

Industrial Revolution in the 21st century?

2. What are the nationally signifi cant stories in the 

Blackstone Valley?

3. For each story, what is the period of signifi cance? 

When does it begin and end?

4. Are there places in the Blackstone Valley that 

the study team should be considering for further 

evaluation?

The visiting scholars toured sites throughout the Valley, 

participated in a two-day moderated discussion with NPS 

staff involvement, and presented their initial fi ndings to 

the public at the Whitin Mill (Alternatives, Inc.) in North8 Tuxill et al. p. 9.

bridge, Massachusetts. Approximately 60 members of the 

community came to participate in the public forum. The 

scholars also presented their fi ndings in written summaries 

available on-line at www.nps.gov/blac/parkmgmt/specialresource-study.htm.

Among their fi ndings the scholars noted that the smallscale industrial development of the Blackstone Valley 

represented a more common pathway to industrial development in the United States than the highly complex, capital-intensive model presented at places like Lowell. They 

were struck by the endurance of the mill village form and 

concept in the Valley and believed that the concentration 

and quality of the mill villages distinguished the Blackstone Valley from other industrial areas in the country. 

They also observed that the relationship between farm and 

factory in the Valley was worthy of note. Here, industry did 

not displace agriculture; they coexisted and supported one 

another.

The scholars’ fi ndings informed the defi nition of the 

study area and identifi cation of focus areas within the Valley as well as the preparation of the project’s Signifi cance 

Statement. The participating scholars emphasized that the 

study team should be considering the Valley in a holistic 

way and that the entire Blackstone River Valley provided 

an appropriate boundary for the study area. They also noted 

that some areas within the Valley possessed greater concentrations of industrial heritage resources and higher levels of integrity than others.

Following the scholars site visit, during the spring and 

summer of 2008 the study team engaged in a Valley-wide 

resource evaluation. Given the large number of resources in 

the Valley, it was important to identify the best possible examples based on the following factors defi ned by the study 

team:

1. Areas that appeared to have the highest level of 

signifi cance and resource integrity and the greatest 

opportunity to interpret different facets of the 

industrial history story or stories.

2. Areas that already had an established visitor 

services component (e.g., the Blackstone Valley 

Visitor Center or the Museum of Work & Culture).

3. Areas that offered opportunities to link to 

the Blackstone River and Canal and existing 

recreational trails (e.g., state park sites).

The study team visited 26 sites throughout the Blackstone River Valley that represent key resource types including agricultural areas, mill villages, and urban centers. 
16 | BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY

Slatersville WOONSOCKET

PROVIDENCE

Hopedale

BLACKSTONE RIVER

BLACKSTONE RIVER

Whitinsville 

WORCESTER

CONNECTICUT MASSACHUSETTS

RHODE ISLAND

PAWTUCKET

Blackstone Canal

Kelly

House

River Bend Farm

Ashton

Old Slater Mill

This map is for 

illustrative purposes 

and is not to scale.

Figure 1: Study Area and Focus Areas.

Based on the factors defi ned above, the study team identifi ed seven historic resources areas and fi ve visitor service 

areas as focus areas within the larger study area:

Historic Resource Areas:

 Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark District, 

Pawtucket, RI

 Slatersville Historic District, North Smithfi eld, RI

 Ashton Historic District, Cumberland, RI

 Whitinsville Historic District, Northbridge, MA

 Hopedale Village Historic District, Hopedale, MA

 Blackstone Canal, MA/RI

 Blackstone River and its tributaries, MA/RI

Visitor Service Areas:

 Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, Pawtucket, RI

 Blackstone River State Park/ Kelly House, Lincoln, 

RI

 Museum of Work & Culture, Woonsocket, RI

 Blackstone River & Canal Heritage State Park/River 

Bend Farm, Uxbridge, MA

 Worcester Visitor Center (proposed), Worcester, MA

Study Criteria

The areas comprising the current 394-unit National Park 

System are the cumulative expression of a single national 

heritage. Potential additions to the system should therefore 

contribute in their own distinctive way to a system that fully represents the broad spectrum of natural and cultural resources that characterize our nation. The NPS is responsible 

for conducting professional studies of potential additions to 

the National Park System when specifi cally authorized by 

an act of Congress. Several laws outline criteria for potenCHAPTER ONE : STUDY PURPOSE & BACKGROUND | 17

tial units of the National Park System. To be eligible for inclusion in the system, a proposed addition must (1) possess 

nationally signifi cant natural or cultural resources; (2) be 

a suitable addition to the system; (3) be a feasible addition 

to the system; and (4) require direct NPS management, 

instead of alternative protection by other public agencies or 

the private sector. These criteria are designed to ensure that 

the National Park System includes only the most outstanding examples of the nation’s natural and cultural resources. 

They also recognize that there are other alternatives, short 

of designation as a unit of the National Park System, for 

preserving the nation’s outstanding resources.

An area or resource may be considered nationally signifi cant if it:

• is an outstanding example of a particular type of 

resource;

• possesses exceptional value or quality in illustrating 

or interpreting the natural or cultural themes of our 

nation’s heritage;

• offers superlative opportunities for public enjoyment 

or for scientifi c study; and

• retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, 

and relatively unspoiled example of a resource.

National signifi cance for cultural resources, such as 

those comprising the Blackstone River Valley, is determined by applying the National Historic Landmarks criteria contained in the Code of Federal Regulations at 36 

CFR Part 65.

An area may be considered suitable for potential addition to the National Park System if it represents a natural or 

cultural resource type that is not already adequately represented in the system, or is not comparably represented and 

protected for public enjoyment by other federal agencies; 

tribal, state, or local governments; or the private sector. 

The suitability evaluation, therefore, is not limited solely 

to units of the National Park System, but includes evaluation of all comparable resource types protected by others.

To be feasible as a new unit of the National Park System, 

an area must be of suffi cient size and appropriate confi guration to ensure sustainable resource protection and visitor 

enjoyment (taking into account current and potential impacts from sources beyond its boundaries) and be capable 

of effi cient administration by the NPS at a reasonable cost.

There are many excellent examples of the successful 

management of important natural and cultural resources by 

other public agencies, private conservation organizations, 

and individuals. Most notably, state park systems provide 

for protection of natural and cultural resources throughout 

the nation and offer outstanding recreational experiences. 

The NPS applauds these accomplishments and actively encourages the expansion of conservation activities by state, 

local, and private entities, and by other federal agencies. 

Unless direct NPS management of a studied area is identifi ed as the clearly superior alternative, the NPS will recommend that one or more of these other entities assume a lead 

management role and that the area not be considered as a 

potential unit of the National Park System.

Studies evaluate an appropriate range of management 

alternatives and identify which alternative or combination 

of alternatives would be most effective and effi cient in 

protecting signifi cant resources and providing opportunities for appropriate public enjoyment. Alternatives to NPS 

management are not normally developed for study areas 

that fail to meet the four criteria for potential units, particularly the “national signifi cance” criterion.

If a special resource study fi nds that a resource meets 

the standards for potential designation as a unit of the National Park System, Congress may choose to enact federal 

legislation creating a unit.

Planning Context

The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National 

Heritage Corridor has served as a catalyst for regional initiatives since its creation in 1986. As a result, the Blackstone River Valley has developed a large regional constituency drawing from environmental, cultural, recreational, 

and economic interests. A number of bi-state, Valley-wide 

initiatives are currently underway to protect and preserve 

the resources associated with the Blackstone River Valley 

and to improve recreational access and opportunities.

The study team acknowledged the desires of the Commission and the public that the long history of federal activity and investment in the Blackstone River Valley region 

be recognized in the study process. The following elements 

were identifi ed to ensure that these previous efforts were 

given adequate consideration:

• Preserve, protect and interpret resources throughout 

the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley 

National Heritage Corridor that exemplify the 

Valley’s nationally signifi cant industrial heritage for 

the benefi t and inspiration of future generations.

• Support the preservation, protection, and 

interpretation of the region’s landscape features – 
18 | BLACKSTONE RIVER VALLEY SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY

both urban and rural, including the Blackstone River 

and Canal – that provide an overarching context for 

the Valley’s industrial heritage.

• Educate the public about the industrial history of the 

Valley and its signifi cance to our nation’s past and 

present.

• Protect the substantial federal investment that has 

been committed to key resources and facilities 

Valley-wide.

• Support and enhance the network of partners 

who will continue to engage in the protection, 

improvement, management, and operation of key 

resources and facilities throughout the Valley.

Regional Initiatives

Blackstone River Bikeway

Originally envisioned in the mid-1990s, the Blackstone 

River Bikeway is planned to extend 46 miles from Providence, RI to Worcester, MA. Currently, 14 miles of bike 

path are open to the public in Central Falls, Lincoln, Cumberland, and Woonsocket, RI. An additional 2.5 miles of 

bike path are open in Worcester and Millbury, MA. When 

completed, the bike path project will result in a mostly offroad alternative transportation route through the Corridor 

linking many of the Valley’s natural and historic features. 

The bikeway is being developed largely with federal transportation funding. The project is a cooperative effort of the 

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, 

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Massachusetts Highway Department, and the Rhode 

Island Department of Transportation, with support from 

the Commission and Blackstone River Valley communities.

Blackstone Greenway

In 2003, the Commission released a report titled “Trails 

and Greenways – A Vision for the Blackstone River Valley” 

that identifi ed priorities for trail development in the region 

and described the potential for creating greenways. The 

two top priorities identifi ed in the report were the completion of the Blackstone River Bikeway and the extension of 

the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT). The 

report identifi ed a number of opportunities to link trails to 

each other and underutilized natural resource areas and to 

expand opportunities for access to navigable waters (“blueways). Connecting communities and resources with a regional trail system has been a long-standing initiative of 

the Commission.

Blackstone Canal Preservation Study

In September 2005, a Preservation Study was completed 

for the 28-mile Massachusetts portion of the Blackstone 

Canal by Vanasse, Hangen & Brustlin, Inc., through a partnership between the Worcester Historical Museum and the 

Commission. This study identifi ed and mapped Canal-related resources in eight communities. In addition, the Study 

included recommendations for the protection, stabilization, 

rehabilitation and interpretation of particularly signifi cant 

and intact segments of the Canal. A similar survey of the 

canal in Rhode Island was completed in June 2010 by the 

same fi rm.

Campaign for a Fishable Swimmable Blackstone River by 

2015

Spearheaded by the Blackstone River Coalition, the 

“Campaign for a Fishable/Swimmable Blackstone River 

by 2015” was launched in 2003 to assemble the appropriate agencies, organizations, and individual actors needed 

to clean up the Blackstone River. It has worked collaboratively with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as nonprofi t organizations, academic institutions, and businesses 

to create a bi-state watershed action plan that focuses on 

storm water management, wastewater treatment, land use 

and development, stream fl ow, recreational opportunities, 

and education and outreach.

The coalition consists of the Blackstone Headwaters 

Coalition, the Blackstone River Watershed Association, the 

Blackstone River Watershed Council/ Friends of the Blackstone, College of the Holy Cross, Lake Singletary Watershed Association, Massachusetts Audubon/ Broad Meadow 

Brook, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Rhode Island 

Conservation Law Foundation, Northern Rhode Island 

Trout Unlimited, and Save the Bay. While not a member of 

the coalition, the Corridor is among the partners who support this initiative.

Update of Corridor Management Plan/ Transition to new 

Management

Commission staff is in the process of updating the Corridor Management Plan which will address the management transition from the Commission to the recently created non-profi t, Blackstone River Valley National Heritage 

Corridor, Inc. The plan is being developed consistent with 

direction in the Commission’s 2006 reauthorization act and 

with the work being completed for the Special Resource 

Study.