Slater Mill is the birthplace of modern American industry. This three building tour takes students back to the era when Moses brown, Samuel Slater and others launched America's Industrial revolution.
In the Slater Mill, opened in 1793, students will see the original factory floor and machine layout as it was in Mr. Slater's day.
The Wilkinson Mill, opened in 1810, served as a machine tool part shop in service to Mr. Slater's original mill and is the birthplace of the precision screw.
In the 1758 Sylvanus Brown House students will see how a middle class artisan family would have lived in the late 18th century. The tour, conducted by trained, costumed interpreters, will emphasize the machine technology, capitalization, power generation, working conditions and production processes that characterized America's industrial origins.
In the nearby Visitor Center a large floor map and free film lend historical background and modern perspective to a students site visit. One travel guide describes a visit to Slater Mill as follows: "We were frankly startled by the completeness fo this exceptional visitor attraction...Interpreters have a remarkable amount to show you...There's nothing quite like this."
This project attempts to help students see why Pawtucket, and Slater Mill, is the birthplace of Industrialization of America.
The project seeks to to identify a vaiety of factors that commended Pawtucket as the ideal site for early American industry. It seeks to show why the earliest industrial development occurred in Pawtucket as opposed to larger, wealthier and more prominent places such as Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia or New York City.
The State Arts Council has decided to designate an initial $20,000 from its federal grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to help schools with the cost of hiring buses to transport students to arts and cultural events and programs. For more information visit RISCA.