Exploring the Blackstone River Valley
Auburn | Blackstone | Burrillville | Central Falls | Cumberland | Douglas | East Providence | Glocester | Grafton | Hopedale | Leicester | Lincoln | Mendon | Millbury | Millville | North Smithfield | Northbridge | Pawtucket | Providence | Smithfield | Sutton | Upton | Uxbridge | Woonsocket | Worcester
Cumberland
Rhode Island
Photo by Tony Mistretta, Blackstone Heritage Corridor Photography Ambassador
Includes the villages of Ashton, Albion, Lonsdale and Valley Falls
Settled in 1635, Incorporated as a town in 1730 and as a city in 1895
- William Blackstone was the first European to settle and live in Cumberland
- The Nine Men’s Misery is the oldest Veteran’s Memorials in the country and located at the current location of the Cumberland Library. During King Philip’s War, nine Colonial soldiers were held prisoner by the Narragansett warriors and killed at this site.
- The town was named in honor of Prince William, Duke of Cumberland
- The first power looms were manufactured here
- In 1953, Martin Chased opened Ann & Hope, America’s first discount department store
- In 2014 the Cumberland American Little League team won the New England Regional Little League Baseball Championship and went to the Little League World Series
Resource Links
Valley Falls Walking Tour
Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission
Blackstone Valley Historical Society
Cumberland Library
Cumberland Town Hall
Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce
