Planning for America 250 celebrations throughout Blackstone Valley is underway, and Blackstone Heritage Corridor is leading the charge. The Corridor has been hosting meetings with Blackstone Valley historical societies, museums, and historic sites since January and has partnered with Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park to engage Valley communities in the planning process. 

“America 250 is not all about soldiers,” noted Jim Beauchamp from the Uxbridge Historical Society. “It’s also about farms and what people were doing during that time period.” 

That being said, some communities, like Sutton, are recognizing Revolutionary War veterans in their historic cemeteries. Ross Weaver from the Sutton Historical Society noted that they have 91 Revolutionary War grave sites mapped out with GPS coordinates. Auburn Historical Society noted that they are also identifying Revolutionary War veterans in their cemeteries. 

Cindy Lavoie from Daniels Farmstead noted that they will be highlighting their historic cider mill, which is what people drank during the Revolutionary War. Blackstone Valley Historical Society shared that they have already begun offering programming focused on civic education, and Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park has begun writing articles about America 250. They can be found at nps.gov/blrv/america250.htm. 

Participants at the October 9 meeting at Old Slater Mill were guided into breakout sessions to work on focus areas, including service, youth and education, cemeteries, marketing, history spaces, and research and digitization. 

Corridor residents who are interested in getting involved should contact the historical society in their community. They can also contact Blackstone Heritage Corridor’s Director of Volunteer and Community Engagement at [email protected] or call the office at 508-234-4242. 

 Expanding the Corridor’s community partner grants program is one of our priorities. By expanding our community partner grants, we can help our partners create and improve their attractions, amenities, and storytelling to enhance the historic, natural, and recreational resources of the Blackstone Valley. Learn about our Legacy Campaign at BlackstoneHeritageCorridor.org.