Historical Sketch of the Town of Pawtucket [RI]

The word “Pawtucket” signified in the dialect of the aborigines “falls of water.” The town of Pawtucket, one of the chief manufacturing towns of Rhode Island during 1876, lies on both sides of the Blackstone River, a river whose name commemorates the first settlers of Boston. This river begins near Worcester, Massachusetts, and seeks the waters of Narragansett Bay. Most of the Blackstone is rapids, thus the name Pawtucket originally applied to the entire stream, but now designates the river below the falls, which conveys the waters of the Blackstone to the bay. The town council of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, selected Rev. Goodrich to record the history of the town at the request of Congress, who recommended the writing of local histories during the centennial year of 1876, as a means to benchmark the progress and preserve a record of growth made during the first century in the various towns throughout the United States. In preparing these sketches, the author employed the following resources: the Rhode Island Colonial Records, Judge Staples’s Annals, Arnold History of Rhode Island, Bliss’s History of Rehoboth, Bishop’s History of Manufactures, the Memoirs of the Wilkinson Family, and ‘Reminiscences’ published prior to 1856 by Dr. Benedict in the Pawtucket Gazette and Chronicle. An attempt has been made to give an account of the various branches of manufacturing industry in the town at this time. A new full-name index and a picture of the town seal of Pawtucket further enhance this work.