The Blackstone Canal
The Blackstone Canal A Waterway of Progress In the early years of the 19th century, in a nationwide effort to open up the interior of the United States, businessmen in eastern and midwestern American built a number of canals. Beginning in 1824, the Blackstone Canal was constructed by Irish immigrants using the Blackstone River to […]
Flood of 1955
The Flood of 1955 A City Under Water The month of August 1955 was one of the most historic months in Woonsocket history, for that was the month of the ’55 flood. For several days it had been raining throughout Woonsocket and New England. Rivers and ponds became swollen, and dams were in danger of […]
Blizzard of 1978
The Blizzard of ’78 Snowed In! February 1978 brought a storm unlike anything Woonsocket had ever seen. Snow fell in relentless sheets, piling up over rooftops and burying cars in drifts taller than a person. Winds howled through the streets, knocking down power lines and leaving neighborhoods in complete darkness. Roads vanished under 55 inches […]
The Irish Immigration
The Irish Immigration Foundations of Faith and Labor The first substantial immigrants to arrive in Woonsocket were the Irish. Between the 1820’s and 1840’s as the Blackstone Canal and the Providence and Worcester Railroad were built through the Blackstone Valley, many Irish immigrants worked as laborers building these facilities. The first recorded Irish resident of Woonsocket was […]
The French Canadian Immigration
The French Canadian Immigration “Ici on parle français” As the textile industry in Woonsocket grew, so did the need for mill workers. The first French Canadian families were recruited from Quebec to work in the mills of Woonsocket in the 1840’s. The life of the French-Canadians in Quebec was largely agrarian. It was a system […]
The Sentinellist Movement
The Sentinellist Movement Faith, Language and Defiance The Croisés (Crusaders), a Franco-American secret society dedicated to the preservation of the French language, was organized in Woonsocket in 1920. In 1921, Bishop William A. Hickey was the bishop of Providence, RI. Hickey was involved in creating Providence College and decided to further his vision by creating […]
The Great Depression
The Great Depression No help wanted Woonsocket suffered greatly during the Depression years. By 1935 over 4,000 textile workers out of 8,000 were either unemployed or working part time. Jobs were scarce as businesses tried to operate with as little help as possible. Signs in the windows of mills and other businesses stating, “NO HELP […]
Providence and Worcester Railroad
Providence and Worcester Railroad Woonsocket’s Railroad Battle In the 1830’s and 1840’s the demand for a railroad to Woonsocket grew. Agitation for a community rail link was led by the village businesses and supported enthusiastically by most of the area citizens. Most realized the advantage a railroad would bring to Woonsocket. Yet, there were some […]
Jimmy Carter Seeks Support
Jimmy Carter Seeks Support Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia visited Woonsocket in September, 1975. He was seeking support for the 1976 Democratic nomination for U.S. President. After receiving official greetings from Mayor John Cummings, Carter was a guest at a reception held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Beauchamp on Harris Avenue. A […]
Abraham Lincoln: A Message for Woonsocket
Abraham Lincoln: A Message for Woonsocket Abraham Lincoln arrived by train in Woonsocket on March 8, 1860 at the invitation of Edward Harris and Latimer Ballou, two prominent city residents who opposed the spread of slavery to the new territories. Just over a week earlier, Lincoln had delivered his famous Cooper Union Address in New York that […]