Heritage in America's Great Outdoors - The 27th Annual Rhode Island Statewide Historic Preservation Conference

Please join us for Heritage in America's Great Outdoors - The 27th Annual Rhode Island Statewide Historic Preservation Conference.

As stated on the State of Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission web site (click here to visit the site),  on October 13, 2011, bills were filed in both the United States Senate and House to “establish the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park.”

The new multi-site park would encompass: 

• Blackstone River and its tributaries;
• Blackstone Canal;
• Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket; 
• Historic villages of Slatersville and Ashton,
• Rhode Island;
• Whitinsville and Hopedale in Massachusetts

Also, President Barack Obama recently launched the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to develop a 21st-century conservation and recreation agenda and to reconnect Americans to nature.

Conference sessions will consider many questions regarding this initiative and will hear the latest developments on the national park bid. Other session topics include recreational paths in historic places, green rehabilitation projects, cemetery preservation, and efforts to restore Rhode Island’s preservation tax credit program.

Field trips will explore the landscapes and architecture of the Blackstone River Valley. Destinations include the well-preserved mill villages, farms, and factories that make the region distinctive. Local tours will stroll down Woonsocket’s historic Main Street and sample the best of the city’s industrial and architectural heritage, indoors and out.

• 2012 overview
• Agenda
• Workshops + tours
• Registration form
• Additional information
• Past conferences
• RI Preservation Awards

*Please note: Registration takes place at the . Other sessions take place at various locations. Please see attached conference program for schedule and locations.