Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket has a rich history and remains an active and vital community. Some families have lived here for generations, while others have chosen the city as a new home. McCoy stadium, home of the Pawtucket Red Sox, (Pawsox) is located on the city's eastside. There is an active creative community engaged in the cultural richness of the past and future. The architecture and landmarks are of a classic New England industrial center. The Pawtucket Foundation is pleased to be a member of the community preserving the strong identity and taking care for the future. The city's website is available at www.pawtucketri.com. Tourist information is available at www.tourblackstone.com
Brief History
Pawtucket Postcards Gallery (Click to open)Pawtucket is a city of 72,958, persons founded in 1671, at the strategic falls of the Blackstone River and the upper tidewaters of Narragansett Bay. It is a city with a special place in the industrial history of the United States. For it was here at the Slater Mill Historic Site that Samuel Slater successfully constructed and operated machines for spinning cotton yarn in 1793. Besides textiles, a variety of machines and iron working shops grew up alongside the textile industry.
The industrial development of Pawtucket continued to expand for the next century making it a highly developed and important manufacturing center. Although the textile industry is no longer dominant, a number of specialty textile operations still remain in Pawtucket, making products such as lace, non-woven, and elastic woven materials. Pawtucket now has 300 diversified industries with the three largest being jewelry and silverware, metals and textiles.
The city has been a leader in community development programs, modernized and upgraded facilities and services, it has maintained consistent budgeting and fiscal methods, and instituted modern planning, programming, and management techniques. To learn more about the history of Pawtucket visit the Elizabeth J. Johnson Pawtucket History Research Center.