In celebration of National Preservation Month, we are pleased to share the story of Southwick-Daniels Farm, carefully preserved today as Daniels Farmstead. We have now preserved nine stories throughout the Blackstone River Valley in our Field Trip Fridays collection, and you can view them here.
Save the date of July 4th to visit the Daniels Farmstead in Blackstone, MA, for a special "Fourth at the Farm" event, and don't miss the Sunday Farmers Markets this summer. Click here to learn more.
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Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor |
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In This Edition: May 27, 2021
- BHC Renews Canal Feasibility Study
- Voters in Uxbridge and Sutton Support Bikeway Expansion
- Field Trip Fridays: Daniels Farmstead
- BHC Survey Extended to June 30th
- Last Chance: Adaptive Cycling - June 1 at Blackstone River Bikeway, Lincoln, RI
- Plein Air Painting: June 5 at Alternatives' Whitin Mill
- Save the Date: Corridor Chats - Saturday, June 26 at Blackstone River Watershed Council/Friends of the Blackstone
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BHC Renews Study to Restore a Section of the Historic Blackstone Canal in Uxbridge and Northbridge, MA |
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (BHC) celebrates National Preservation Month by moving forward on an engineering feasibility study to restore one of the original sections of the historic Blackstone Canal in Uxbridge and Northbridge, MA.
“Thanks to a generous grant of $10,000 from UniBank, the BHC Board of Directors voted to contract with VHB Engineering to update a feasibility study to restore a 3.5-mile section of the Blackstone Canal situated in the Blackstone River & Canal Heritage State Park,” Richard Moore, BHC’s Board Chair announced. “The Board also approved contributing $12,200 from its Development funds to secure the study.”
According to Moore, with increased federal and state interest in infrastructure and development of the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park, BHC’s Board of Directors wants to update the construction cost estimates and renew efforts to reconstruct the canal to add to the visitor experience of visiting River Bend Farm and the National Heritage Corridor.
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Voters in Uxbridge and Sutton Support Bikeway Expansion |
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Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor’s mission to continue expanding the Blackstone River Greenway/Bikeway has gained momentum. At Town Meetings on May 15, Uxbridge and Sutton residents voted in favor of authorizing local officials in both towns to negotiate easements that help pave the way for extending the Blackstone River Greenway/Bikeway in their communities.
In Uxbridge, residents voted in favor of granting authority to the Select Board to negotiate mutually agreeable access easements on public parcels. Additionally, the passage of the article will allow a Greenway/Bikeway over or along the existing water/sewer infrastructure where the proposed extension of the existing Blackstone River Greenway will run. The vision for the 3.5-mile expansion would bring it from Adams Street in south Uxbridge to Depot Street in the center of town.
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In Sutton, residents voted to authorize the Select Board to convey a parcel of Town-owned land in exchange for trail and bicycle path easements that will allow passage of the Blackstone River Bikeway on Blackstone Street, near the Singing Dam.
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Field Trip Fridays: Daniels Farmstead |
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From its bucolic setting to its architectural features and charming furnishings, the Southwick-Daniels Farm in Blackstone, MA, exhibits a singular and striking standard of historical integrity. Enjoy the story of an intact family farm that grew and evolved over more than two centuries of continuous habitation, labor, and cultivation.
The carefully preserved farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Daniels Farmstead and is stewarded today as a nonprofit organization. Learn more at DanielsFarmstead.org.
Download a Daniels Farmstead coloring page here.
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BHC SURVEY EXTENDED TO JUNE 30th! |
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YOUR OPINION IS VITAL!
Help Guide Our Region
in the Next 10 Years and Beyond
Please share a few minutes of your time to provide feedback in our survey on how best to steward the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor’s natural, recreational, and historic resources into the future.
Your comments and suggestions will help us to re-envision how collective change can happen based on the values and priorities of those who work, live, and play here in the National Heritage Corridor.
Please complete the survey by Wednesday, June 30, to make sure your voice is heard. All responses are anonymous. As a token of our appreciation for your feedback, you can enter an optional prize drawing at the end of the survey.
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SHARING IS CARING!
Please share this survey with others.
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LAST CHANCE:
Adaptive Cycling on the Blackstone River Bikeway - Lincoln, RI
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Tuesday, June 1
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Blackstone River BIkeway
65 Front Street
Lincoln, RI
Want to explore the beauty of the Blackstone River Greenway but have physical or cognitive limitations that prevent you from doing so? Perhaps you, or someone you know, would enjoy a ride on adaptive cycling equipment to take in the scenic views. Sign up for a free ride today!
All equipment is provided, but you must pre-register for a time slot by calling All Out Adventures at 413-584-2052 or emailing info@alloutadventures.org.
This event is made possible with additional support from Bike-On of Warwick, RI, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the Network of the National Library of Medicine, New England Region.
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Explore the Blackstone River Bikeway/Greenway
with our Interactive Map
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BHC Celebrates "Arts in the Parks" With Plein Air Painting |
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Join us Saturday, June 5!
Plein Air Painting
at Alternatives' Whitin Mill
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Come paint with us outdoors! Enjoy painting in the media of your choice at the historic Alternatives’ Whitin Mill complex in Whitinsville with views of Whitin Machine Works, the 1826 Red Brick Mill, the Granite Cotton Mill, the Mumford River, and more.
This will be a non-instructional event with limited space. Current social distancing guidelines will be in place. No restrooms will be available. Rain date is Sunday, June 6. Pre-registration required.
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Save the Date: Saturday, June 26
CORRIDOR CHATS
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Corridor Chats Is Back!
Save the date of Saturday, June 26, to join us for an overdue, in-person celebration! We'll be paying tribute to Pollinator Week, National Rivers Month, and National Great Outdoors Month!
Thank you to our friends at the Blackstone River Watershed Council/Friends of the Blackstone for hosting Corridor Chats at their Sycamore Landing property in Manville, RI, situated perfectly between the Blackstone River on the back and the Blackstone River Bikeway on the front! They have also built a large garden area, including a turtle-shaped pollinator garden! The garden project was made possible by a grant from the Rhode Island Foundation.
We're also excited to announce afternoon-long performances by the Eastern Medicine Singers, who will bless the pollinator garden in a special ceremony.
We're working on finalizing plans, but:
- Bring your bike for a guided ride to the Native Pollinator Garden at the Kelly House Museum (six miles round trip).
- Bring your canoe or kayak for a paddle on the Blackstone River.
- Bring your walking shoes for a guided Blue Mind walk along the river with BRWC/FOB's John Marsland.
If you're already sold, please RSVP.
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More Events Coming In June! |
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BHC Celebrates Pollinator Week! |
Stay tuned on Pollinator Week events we're putting together, including:
Tuesday, June 22
Thursday, June 24
Saturday, June 26
Saturday, June 26
Watch for details in our next newsletter, on social media, and our events calendar. Learn more about our efforts to protect pollinators and take our Pollinator Pledge here.
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Become a GearHead Junior Ranger |
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"Explore, Discover, Protect, and GO!"
The Junior Ranger motto is recited by children around the country, each taking an oath of their own to protect parks, continue to learn about parks, and share their own ranger story with friends and family. Here in the Blackstone River Valley, Junior Rangers are called GearHeads. What's a GearHead, you might ask?
GearHead (n.): a kid, powered by the gears in their brain, who explores nature, discovers history, protects the environment, and goes on adventures throughout the Blackstone River Valley.
Click through the GearHeads website and claim your Junior Ranger status today! Submit a completed activity, and we'll send you a Junior Ranger badge!
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Celebrate Bike Month and Make Some Spoke Cards! |
Spoke Cards are a fun way to decorate your bicycle. They first appear in the 1980s when bicycle messengers in big cities competed in impromptu races called “alley cats.” Racers identified themselves by displaying their name and racing number on small cards wedged between their wheel spokes. Today, Spoke Cards are used for advertising, showing off your bike club name, or celebrating special events. Some spoke cards even have road maps printed on them! What will your spoke card say and do?
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We're Building a New Interactive Map! |
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We have a new way for you to navigate around the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor! We're building an interactive map to help you find parking areas for the Blackstone River Bikeway/Greenway, places to go walking and hiking at Blackstone Valley parks and trails, museums and historical sites, and more. Coming soon, we'll be featuring places to go paddling and highlighting our heritage centers. |
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From all of us at BHC, we wish you well and look forward to seeing you soon! |
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