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Subject: Re: [MAWORCES] Re: French Canadians
Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2001 10:25:35 EST
The French Canadians came to Worcester County to work in the mills that were
built all along the Blackstone River and I am sure other rivers in the area.
The mills were built along the river using water to power the machinery. The
Blackstone River went from Worcester to Providence, RI where it entered
Naragansett Bay.
I grew up in the Blackstone Valley and as a child remember the mills were
still a very important source of jobs in the area. There was at one time a
Blackstone Canal and then the railroad to carry product to providence, RI and
the ships.
There is now a National Heritage Park in the Blackstone Valley. The visitors
center is in Uxbridge, MA. There is also a visitors center in RI but I am not
sure just where it is. There is a museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket,
RI and this museum is all about the mill workers and the French Canadian
culture.
Sonia
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