WASHINGTON, DC – More than 220 years ago, laborers working for Samuel Slater built a water-powered mill along the Blackstone River, sparking America’s Industrial Revolution.  Now, the area of Rhode Island will soon be home to America's next national historical park.

After years of community-based collaboration, environmental study and historical analysis, and working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Department of Interior and the National Park Service, U.S. Senator Jack Reed’s (D-RI) legislation to establish Rhode Island’s first national historical park has finally been approved by Congress.  The multi-site park will encompass areas of the Blackstone River and Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket as well as significant sites in nearby mill towns, including Slatersville (in North Smithfield) and Ashton (in Cumberland) in Rhode Island and Whitinsville and Hopedale in Massachusetts.

Reed, the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior & Environment, wrote the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park Establishment Act (S. 371) to establish a new unit of the National Park System within the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.  Reed’s legislation was approved today by the full U.S. Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  The bill now goes to the President to be signed into law.

“Today we are preserving a piece of American history, our cultural landscape, and the natural beauty of the Blackstone River Valley.  We’re also bringing greater recognition to Rhode Island’s history and creating new opportunities for tourism, education, and recreation,” said Reed, the driving force in Congress to turn the area into a national historical park.  “The Blackstone Valley is a national treasure that deserves to be preserved.  It is the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution and this new park will be a place where people can come and explore the roots of modern-day America.”

“The story of the Blackstone Valley is as iconic and important to the American identity as that of Plymouth Rock and Independence Hall.  I am so glad that the region will have this special recognition as a new National Park and be able to tell many more Americans about the birthplace of industry in the United States,” said Charlene Perkins Cutler, Executive Director of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, Inc.  “I commend Senator Reed for his continued leadership to help get this initiative through Congress and permanently preserve this special place as part of the National Park System.”

Designated as a National Heritage Corridor in 1986 by Congress, the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor links twenty-four communities along the Blackstone River from Providence, Rhode Island to Worcester, Massachusetts.

It was twice reauthorized by Congress and renamed for John H. Chafee in 1999. 

In 2005, Senator Reed pushed legislation authorizing the National Park Service to conduct a Special Resource Study (SRS) to evaluate the eligibility of resources in the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor for possible inclusion in the national park system.  The study process began in March 2007 in consultation with the Heritage Corridor Commission and its staff.  In 2008, a team of academic scholars visited the region and offered recommendations.  In June 2010, the National Park Service prepared preliminary study findings which laid out a variety of options.

In 2011, Jack Reed ascended to the chairmanship of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior & Environment, which oversees the U.S. Department of Interior and the National Park Service.  Federal support for the Corridor was expected to sunset in October 2011, at which point the area retains its National Heritage Corridor designation, but federal funding would end.  However, Senator Reed was able to successfully extend the authorization to October 2012 in the final Fiscal Year 2011 continuing resolution signed into law in April; thus keeping the Corridor eligible for future federal funding.  And over the years, Senator Reed has brought multiple U.S. Secretaries of the Interior up to Rhode Island to see firsthand the proposed park area and the importance of preserving the Blackstone River Valley. 

“Designating this area as a national historical park and making it a permanent part of the National Park System is a fitting way to honor our industrial heritage and give Rhode Island the recognition it deserves in shaping our nation’s history,” said Reed.  “This designation will help preserve key historical, cultural, and environmental resources for future generations.  It will help educate people about our past and contribute to our economic future by supporting tourism and recreational opportunities.”

After the legislation designating the park is signed into law, the National Park Service will begin to lay the groundwork for developing a general management plan to guide long-term management of the park and determine the scope of its boundaries with the input of the states, local communities, and interested stakeholders.  Congress must also appropriate federal funding for the park. 

Reed says he expects the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park would be run collaboratively through a special partnership that would allow the National Park Service to manage and operate the facilities and provide educational services within the park in partnership with regional and local preservation groups who would continue to lead the efforts to preserve the surrounding rural and agriculture landscape within the existing corridor.

“Now that we have gotten the bill through Congress, we still have work to do.  We want to continue to work in a collaborative nature and ensure public input every step of the way,” said Reed.  “This park is going to be a truly special place and it has a very bright future.”

According to the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, to date, more than $25 million has been spent on preserving historic buildings, creating museums, constructing visitor centers, and building permanent exhibits in the Heritage Corridor.  Since 2002, Senator Reed helped secured over $11 million in federal funding for the Corridor and an additional $6.9 million for the Blackstone River Valley Bikeway.

In 1872, Congress designated Yellowstone as the world's first national park.  Today, the National Park System includes 401 diverse units administered by the National Park Service, including 46 national historical parks.

-end-