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Downtown Historic District of Woonsocket, Rhode IslandSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downtown_Woonsocket_Historic_District.jpg
Author: Marcbela
The Woonsocket area was inhabited by three different tribes of Native Americans, namely the Nipmucs, the Wampanoags and the Narragansetts, when the first European settlers arrived in the 17th century. In 1661, Roger Williams purchased the area from the Indians and named it Niswosakit.
The modern city of Woonsocket traces its origin to Woonsocket Falls Village founded in the 1820s. The town itself was founded in 1871, when the villages of Hamlet, Bernon and Globe merged. Prosperity from the textile mills in neighboring Pawtucket spilled over to Woontucket, which was made a city in 1888.
The Great Depression closed down the textile industry of the area. It received a second lease on life during the Second World War, when the Woonsocket area became the manufacturing center for fabric for the war. After that, its economy was in doldrums for a couple of decades, while the city diversified into other forms of manufacturing as well as high technology and financial services.
Visiting Woonsocket
Take Interstate 295 to Exit 9B, then continue north on RI State Route 146 (Eddie Dowling Highway). Turn off Route 146 to Route 99 (Woonsocket Industrial Highway) and continue north to reach the city.Places of Interest in Woonsocket
- Museum of Work & Culture
Museum providing a glimpse into the history of French Canadian settlers who moved there from their farms in Quebec. - Woonsocket City Hall
Historic building dating to 1856. In 1860 it was visited by Abraham Lincoln, who delivered a speech there. - Woonsocket Civil War Monument
Monument built in 1868 by J.G. Batterson to commemorate battles of the Civil War fought by soldiers from Woonsocket.
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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
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