| has gloss | eng: The Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park is a part of the State Park system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). This park "recalls the role of canals in transporting raw materials and manufactured goods between emerging industrial centers." This need gave way to an inland waterway, the Blackstone Canal(1828). The canal connected Worcester to Providence, the closest port. The canal was built by imported Irish laborers, who worked on the Erie Canal, and settled here. It was completed in 1828. The canal was a simple ditch alongside the Blackstone River with a dirt tow path for boats to be pulled by horses. A granite lock stands at Goat Hill and Uxbridge was the overnight stopping point. The canal connected inland Worcester, mills on the Blackstone, and Providence where thousands of tons of textiles could be exported all over the world. |
