Elderhostel -- Rhode Island
Hosted by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council:
401-724-2200

Stay tuned for 2011 schedule

Following are descriptions of Elderhostel programs sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. Spring programs are described below. You may also register for our summer programs. To register, please call Elderhostel at 1-877-426-8056 or visit their web site.

Site Description

There's so much history in Rhode Island. Over 400 miles of coastline and one of our nation's largest concentrations of historic landmarks are in this state just 48 miles long and 37 miles wide. Our home for the week, the Blackstone River Valley, a national park, provides some of the most beautiful scenery in the state. Enjoy the tranquil stretches of canal and  towpath, mill villages and historic sites while discovering our fascinating stories.

Lodging in attractive, modern hotel with elevator, guest laundry facilities, free parking, cable TV and outdoor pool. Newly appointed full service restaurant. Right off Interstate 95, Pawtucket, RI.

Programs and Course Descriptions

The Blackstone River Valley

The centerpiece of the Blackstone Valley is the Blackstone River. An American Heritage River, it flows between Worcester, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. While we are all familiar with the American Revolution, a second revolution was set in motion on the banks of the Blackstone River in the early 19th century.

Once the second most powerful river in American because of its unusually steep drop over its 46 miles, the Blackstone was thoroughly harnessed for waterpower to fuel textile mills beginning in 1790 in a tiny cotton mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. This mechnization of spinning cotton into thread began a revolution that over the 19th century changed nearly aspect of daily life and dramatically changed the landscape as Americans left lives lived in tune with the sun and seasons to new ones regulated by factory bells and time clocks.

While the American Industrial Revolution is a less popular historic topic, its impact was enormous. Over the 19th century, it drew millions of immigrants here - many of them our ancestors in search of better lives. Some came to the textile mills of the Blackstone Valley. Their willingness to work six-day weeks and 12-hour days in dangerous, often life-threatening working conditions less enabled their children and grandchildren to reach the middle class.

In 1986, Congress decided the Valley's role in sparking the industrial revolution was so significant, it designated it as a special kind of national park called a national heritage corridor. The Valley's mill villages and brick mills, canal tow paths, along with our riverboats, historic sites and award-winning museums all tell the story of the beginning of this unappreciated revolution and its first workers and how it still affects us today.

Stay tuned for 2011 schedule

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Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, On the banks of the Blackstone, 175 Main Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island  02860  1-800-454-BVTC (2882)  Local: 401-724-2200 Fax: 401-724-1342 info@tourblackstone.com