Bill Introduced to Create National Historical Park in the Blackstone Valley

A bill to create a national park in the Blackstone River Valley was introduced today with Woonsocket's identified as one of four potential "gateway" facilities.

"As the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, this area is a national treasure and includes thousands of acres of beautiful, undeveloped land, and waterways that are home to diverse wildlife," explained a press release from U.S. Sen. Jack Reed's (D-RI) office.

The legislation is aimed at preserving the industrial heritage and natural and cultural resources of the region, and helping to provide economic development opportunities. Sponsored by Reed, along with U.S. Senators John Kerry (D-MA,) Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI,) and Scott Brown (R-MA,) the bipartisan legislation would create the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park.

Designated as a National Heritage Corridor in 1986 by Congress, the John H.Chafee Blackstone River National Heritage Corridor links twenty-four communities along the Blackstone River from Providence, Rhode Island to Worcester, Massachusetts. For the past 25 years, a team at One Depot Square in Woonsocket has managed and protected the sites and resources in the region. Their license to operate the site at the former train station was set to expire this month, but with the help of Reed, it has been extended for one year, in efforts to allow time for the creation of a new national park.

The new multi-site park would make the region an official nation park encompassing sites in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, including four "gateway facilities." The Museum of Work and Culture, would be one such site, where visitors could find information about the area.

The bill comes as the result of several years of research, including a Special Resource Study (SRS) to review whether portions of Blackstone River Valley that contain historical and cultural value would be eligible for potential inclusion in the National Park System. 

“This new national park would provide opportunities for work, opportunities for recreation, and it will be a way to forever memorialize the history of this unique national treasure,” said Reed, the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and Environment, which oversees the National Park Service.  “Creating a national historical park within the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor could help boost tourism and economic development in the region and preserve and protect these valuable natural and cultural resources for future generations of Americans.”

The initial SRS study of the region identified five possible management options for the park, including continued use of the Woonsocket facility. According to Chip Unruh, press secretary for Sen. Reed, the legislation "codifies management option 3 which is the most comprehensive of the final three."

The multi-state park, over time, is expected include expenditures of $6.1 million for construction and rehabilitation of facilities, research, planning, and development of exhibits and have an estimated $3.5 million annual operating cost.

According to Thursday's release, "if approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama, the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park likely 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 in the park in partnership with regional and local preservation groups who would lead the efforts to preserve the surrounding rural and agriculture landscape within the existing corridor."

“The Blackstone River Valley is the historic cradle of Rhode Island – and American – manufacturing, and a beautiful resource for our state,” said Whitehouse.  “Securing a National Park designation for the area will create jobs now and ensure that this historic corridor is preserved for future generations.”