Historic Walking Tour

The tour takes approximately one hour and one mile in distance. The route is not strenuous, but some might want to eliminate the walk down the hill to the Railroad Street Bridge. Please take care while walking along the shoulder of the road. There is a crosswalk across Main Street in front of the Library.

Parking
Available at the North Smithfield Public Library.
The tour begins just behind the parking lot

Facilities
Available at the Library and Town Hall during business hours.

1. Slatersville Reservoir

Follow the small path at the post office end of the parking lot towards the river. From here, you can see two waterfalls. The larger dam, known as the Middle Dam, was built in 1849. It is 300 feet long, and causes a twenty foot drop. Behind the dam, is the 170 acre Lower Slatersville Reservoir. The smaller dam was built later to increase the water power. The sluice gate here controlled the amount of water flowing into the raceway that powered the Slatersville Mill.

2. Slatersville Housing

Head up the path towards Main Street. Across the street from the Library, you will find six houses. It is believed that they predate the mill, but all were used to house workers. The ring on the stone wall in front of #27 and #29 was used to tie up horses. Continue right on Main Street to the library.

3. Slatersville Library/Western Mills

In 1821, the Slaters built an eight building mill complex, known as the Western Mills, on the western side of Railroad Street. Two of these buildings remain. One, the former store house, became the North Smithfield Public Library in 1966. Its rubble-stone construction shows us what the old Western Mill complex looked like. Proceed down the stairs to the left of the library and head east along the power canal to the former picker house that is currently not in use.

4. Slatersville Mill

The original Slatersville Mill, built in 1807, burned down in 1826 and was replaced by the current mill, known as the Center Mill or the #1 Mill. It is a four story building with a five story stair tower. Behind the Center Mill is the Granite or #3 Mill built in 1843, and along the power trench is a brick weaver shed built in 1894. In front of the Center Mill is a wooden office building, the last remaining structure from the original mill. The current owner of the property, Halstead Mills, LLC is restoring much of the property to luxury apartments. Walk back up the hill to Main Street and take a right.

5. Green Street: Dr. Elisha Bartlett House

The attractive Greek Revival style house at 2 Green Street was the home of Dr. Elisha Bartlett, one of the most remarkable residents of Slatersville. Born here in 1804, he graduated in 1826 from Brown University with a medical degree. He took up practice in Lowell, Massachusetts and was elected the first mayor of that city in 1836. In 1842, he published the first thesis on typhoid in English, and two years later wrote an essay on the Philosophy of Medicine. Suffering from poor health, Dr. Bartlett retired to his home town about 1850 with his wife Elizabeth, who was John Slater's daughter. The house is built on the original site of John Slater's home.

Just past the Bartlett house are six mill houses built between 1810-1820. They are among the first to be built by the Slater Company. In the 1920s they were altered by Henry Kendall as part of his effort to make Slatersville look like a traditional New England Village. Proceed to the Common.

6. Slatersville Congregational Church and Common

There are very few town commons in Rhode Island, but the small town green in Slatersville, located in front of the Congregational Church, serves as an important social center and focal point for the village. The green, laid out by the Slater family in 1838, also adds to the traditional New England essence of Slatersville. Feel free to take advantage of the benches here before continuing your tour.

Members of the Slatersville Congregational Church began meeting in 1816, and in 1838 the Slater family erected this church for the congregation. The church is a lovely example of the Greek Revival style topped by a three-stage belfry with an octagonal spire. The church's original steeple was blown off during the 1938 hurricane. Its replacement is much smaller.

Go past the church and turn right onto School Street.

7. John Slater House - 16 School Street (c.1810)

Slater built his home in 1810. It originally stood where Dr. Bartlett's house is today. It was moved to this site in 1843 shortly after Slater's death. Slater's home is handsome, but modest. Additions have been made on each side, but the center section resembles the houses built for the mill workers.

8. Playground - Slatersville Cemetery

Turn left off School Street into the playground. In 1816, the original Slatersville Meeting House was moved to this site to be used as the village school. The building was moved one more time to Green Street in 1887 when the Slatersville School was built. The 1887 school was used until the opening of the Kendall Dean School in 1936. One of the doorsteps for the old Slatersville School is still here. Can you find it?

To the right is the Slatersville Cemetery located next to the school. Many prominent Slatersville residents are buried here. The Slater family plot is behind the wrought iron fence in the center of the cemetery. Proceed past the cemetery. To the right is the Episcopal Church.

9. Episcopal Church/Grange Hall

This building was erected in 1897 as a chapel for the St. Luke Episcopal Missionary. It was later used as a social hall, and in 1920 became the Union Grange Hall. It is currently being renovated for future use. Turn left onto Green Street.

10. Old Meeting House - 55-57 Green Street

In 1808 John Slater held a lottery to raise $4,000 in order to build Slatersville's first church. Originally it stood where the Congregational Church is today. In 1816 it was moved to School Street to serve as the village school. Then in 1887, it was moved to its current site and is now a two-family home. Continue west on Green Street to Town Hall.

11. North Smithfield Town Hall (1921)

Built in 1921 on land donated by Henry Kendall, the North Smithfield Town Hall is an attractive brick neo-Georgian style structure. A hotel and boarding house stood here before the Town Hall.

12. Slatersville Commercial Blocks

The first commercial block on the right) was constructed in 1850, when it housed the company store and the First National Bank. Many other businesses have used this space over the years, including barber shops and a hardware store. The stairway on the far side of the block leads to the old night deposit vault for the bank. The Second Commercial Block was built in 1870. The upper floors of both buildings were used for workers' recreation - dances, social activities and later movies. Today, both are still in use.