Pawtucket’s Slater Mill acquired by National Park Service

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) - The historic Slater Mill in Pawtucket and the surrounding area are being taken over by the National Park Service.

The transfer of the Old Slater Mill Historic District from local control to federal control enhances opportunities for conservation, historic preservation, tourism, economic growth, education, and recreation, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed said in a statement this week.

Completed in 1793, Slater Mill on the banks of the Blackstone River, is the first successful water-powered spinning mill in the U.S. and helped set America’s Industrial Revolution in motion. The other historic buildings being transferred include Sylvanus Brown House, built in 1758, and Wilkinson Mill, which dates to 1810.

The buildings are being officially transferred to the National Park Service by the Old Slater Mill Association, which acquired them a century ago.

“This iconic landmark of our city has been a source of pride for our community for years and, with the support of the National Park Service, can continue to be experienced by many generations to come,” Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien said in a statement.