The American Industrial Revolution began here when, in 1793, Samuel Slater joined investors and local artisans to build the first successful water-powered cotton spinning mill in the United States. Afterward, cotton mill fever spread rapidly up the Blackstone River, then into New England and eventually other parts of the nation, and these industries forever changed the land, ways of life, and economies. Old Slater Mill, built in 1793, once contained Slater's revolutionary spinning machines and today houses historic textile equipment, an information desk, and a gift shop. The Sylvanus Brown House was the home of mechanic Sylvanus Brown, who worked closely with Samuel Slater, and its house and furnishings reflect life and work near the start of the Industrial Revolution. Wilkinson Mill made machines for textile mills and other customers, and it includes a water wheel and a machine shop from the 1800s at work.

Photo: Devry Becker Jones

Pawtucket, Rhode Island · USA