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Life is full of surprises. A few weeks ago we left Rhode Island and drove off in our RV, headed for Orange, Massachusetts. We left a day early so that we wouldn’t be too rushed. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, with just a touch of humidity in the air. As soon as we entered Massachusetts we began to see brown signs along the roadside. Brown signs along the road usually denote a site of natural, historical or cultural significance (and sometimes all three). So those of you who know me know of my insatiable curiosity and my need to follow the brown signs.

Pulling off a state highway and driving through a centuries old small town with quaint historic homes along a narrow, winding, tree-lined road is not an RVer’s idea of fun. It was knuckle biting entertainment as we listened to tree branches scraping the sides of our RV; instinctively (yet foolishly) we ducked our heads when we passed under an old, low bridge. We have one of the smaller RVs out there too!

Suffice it to say that we finally found the source of our brown sign, the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. The Corridor is not owned or managed by the National Park Service, instead the park service is in a partnership with two state governments, twenty-four local governments, businesses, non-profit organizations and the corridor commission.

We had arrived at the River Bend Farm Visitor Center—one of many stops along the corridor. What a pleasant surprise! The Visitor Center is in Uxbridge along the Blackstone River and Canal. Those of you who remember your high school history should recognize the name of this river—it was the birthplace of America’s Industrial Revolution. I confess I did not remember the name but thankfully the VC was chock full of information. It all began in 1790 when the first successful water-powered cotton mill was started in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Now known as Slater Mill, it was the first of many to harness the power of the Blackstone River.

The river was named after the first colonial settler, Reverend William Blaxton (Blackstone) who entered the area in 1635. I did not find much else about him except that he must have been an unusual man; it was written that he often rode a bull to town, instead of the usual horse. The river begins near Worcester, Massachusetts (pronounced wooster) and travels 45 miles before it empties into Narragansett Bay at Providence, Rhode Island.

By the early 1800s the Blackstone had over 34 dams that powered countless mills, earning it fame as “the hardest working river in America.” The water—once used by native peoples and settlers to drink and fish in—had rapidly changed into the most polluted and heavily exploited river in America.

Speaking of exploitation, the Age of Industry was dependent on cheap labor, of all ages, and lots of it. The mills employed children as young as six years old and required a sixty hour work week which many called “wage slavery.” The mill towns of the Blackstone River Valley quickly outgrew the amount of available Yankees and began advertising for help.

Workers of all races, religions and nationalities answered the ads making the Blackstone River Valley the most ethnically and religiously diverse part of New England. Anglican, Quaker, Baptist, Puritan, Catholic, Jewish, Irish, French Canadian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Ukrainian, Polish, Armenian, Syrian, African American, South and Central American and Southeast Asian to name a few.

As we all know, it isn’t enough just to make something. You have to be able to sell your product and that’s where the canal comes in. The river was too unwieldy and meandering to travel by boat so a group of businessmen began work on the Blackstone Canal. When the Canal opened in 1828 it offered a quick and safe way to ship goods from Worcester to Providence. Since the roads of the day were so poor and many were toll roads, hauling freight 30 miles overland cost as much as shipping it all the way to England! The trip that used to take days now took a little over 14 hours to complete.

After touring the displays at the VC we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering along the banks of the Canal. Although very overgrown and at one time almost forgotten the Canal still has several locks in good condition. We hiked through rolling hills and dense forest to the Goat Hill Lock. The stonework was incredible, and to think it was all done by hand! As we walked through the trees it was hard to imagine that over 85% of New England had been cleared around the time of the Canal. The wood was used for fuel and construction and the fields were needed for crops and livestock.

The Canal had a few drawbacks, it could be closed by ice in the winter and by drought in the summer. The coming of the railroad in 1847 rendered the Canal obsolete. Eventually even the textile mills ceased to operate as cheaper labor and new inventions in other places moved the industry elsewhere. Although over 90% of the mills have closed, some of the mill towns still retain their uniform look and feel since the mill controlled everything: housing, roads, stores, schools, churches and of course, jobs.

We not only enjoyed our time along the Blackstone River but we learned so much too! It was early evening when we clambered back aboard and set off on our way to Orange. Our previously sunny sky was quickly replaced with ominous looking and sounding clouds. Within 15 minutes on the road we were overwhelmed by a massive thunderstorm. Lightning flashed, thunder roared and the rain sheeted down. Surprise! Slowly and carefully we continued on our way. Amazingly the storm was gone as quickly as it came, within half an hour we were driving on dry highway.

The next morning we finished our drive along Route 2 in northwestern Massachusetts to Orange. We were both glad that we had waited for daylight to finish the drive since it was so beautiful. Route 2, also known as the Mohawk Trail, is regarded as one of the 50 most scenic routes in the United States. The Mohawk Trail roughly follows an old Indian path used by native peoples for over 5,000 years.

When the English first arrived the area was peaceably lived in by two tribes, the Mohawk of the New York area and the Pocumtuck of present day Massachusetts. The land the tribes controlled was greatly desired by the English and the settlers wasted no time in devising a plan to get the land. As the story goes, the English murdered a prominent member of one tribe and framed the other tribe. The Mohawk made short work of the Pocumtuck tribe, which is why you never hear about them; history usually only records the story of the victors. With one tribe out of the way, the English quickly moved in.

We set up our RV in Lance’s sister and her husband’s driveway in Orange around lunchtime. We had come to this corner of Massachusetts to help Adria and Joel pack up for their move to Tucson, Arizona. They had been living and working in Orange for about two and a half years when they decided they needed a change. What a change it will be for Joel—he’s never lived south of Chicago! It will be up to Adria to help him adjust since she has lived in Tucson before.

It was such a nice afternoon that we folded ourselves into Joel’s BMW and took a drive through the country. Our first stop was at an overlook near New Salem. Standing high on a ridge we looked down at the Quabbin Reservoir, the main water supply for the Boston metropolitan area. The reservoir came into existence in 1939 after the Swift River was dammed in several places. The water now covers over 25,000 acres. The islands we could see were hilltops just about 70 years ago. Not coincidentally, the name Quabbin was derived from a Native American phrase “nani-quaben” which means place of many waters.

The next three days were packed with moving duties (pun intended). It seemed like we would never get everything all packed and loaded. Somehow, we sealed the last box and loaded the truck in time to have dinner at the Johnson Farm and Sugarhouse. We were all so glad we made it before they closed, not only were we ravenous but it was the kind of family run, small town place that is increasingly rare these days. Of course the food was delicious! Joel and Adria had pointed out the maple trees lining the road on our drive to the restaurant and inside we bought some of their syrup. Not only will it be delicious but now we will have memories to go with it.

We were excited to wave goodbye to Adria and Joel as they drove off for their new life in the Southwest the next morning. We left shortly after them but turned our wheel to the southeast; we’ll be back in Rhode Island for about a week. More about that later…

Photos: View more photographs from our Massachusetts Visit.

Notes: We stayed in North-Central Massachusetts from 06/16/07 to 06/21/07.