Pawtucket, Rhode Island

The name "Pawtucket" comes from the Algonquian word for "river fall."[6]

The Pawtucket region was said to have been one of the most populous places in New England prior to the arrival of European settlers.[7] Native Americans would gather here to take advantage of the salmon and smaller fish which gathered at the falls.[7] The first European settler here was Joseph Jenks, who came to the region from Lynn, Massachusetts.[7] He purchased about 60 acres near Pawtucket Falls in 1671.[7] He established a sawmill and forge.[7] These, along with the entire town, were later destroyed during King Philip's War.[7]

Other settlers followed Jenks, and by 1775 the area was home to manufacturers of muskets, linseed oil, potash, and ship building.[7] Also around this time Oziel Wilkinson and his family set up an iron forge making anchors, nails, screws, farm implements, and even cannons.[7]

Panoramic map of Pawtucket and Central Falls (1877)

Pawtucket was an early and important center of cotton textiles during the American Industrial Revolution. Slater Mill, built in 1793 by Samuel Slater on the Blackstone River falls in downtown Pawtucket, was the first fully mechanized cotton-spinning mill in America.[8] Slater Mill is known for developing a commercially successful production process not reliant on earlier horse-drawn processes developed in America. Slater constructed and operated machines for producing yarn. Other manufacturers continued, transforming Pawtucket into a center for textiles, iron working, and other products.

By the 1920s, Pawtucket was a prosperous mill town. The city had over a half-dozen movie theaters, two dozen hotels, and an impressive collection of fine commercial and residential architecture.[9] Perhaps the most impressive public building in Pawtucket was the Leroy Theatre, an ornate movie palace that was called "Pawtucket's Million Dollar Theater".[9] Many wealthy mill owners such as Darius Goff built their mansions in the area.[10]

The textile business in New England declined during the Great Depression with many manufacturers closing or moving their facilities South where operations and labor were cheaper. Later in the 20th Century, Pawtucket began to lose some of its architectural heritage to the wrecking ball, including the Leroy Theatre.[9]

But unlike numerous older mill towns in the region, Pawtucket retained much of its industrial base. Today, goods produced in the city include lace, non-woven and elastic woven materials, jewelry, silverware, metals, and textiles. Hasbro, one of the world's largest manufacturers of toys and games, is headquartered in Pawtucket.

• 
  Jencks House
• 
  Map of Pawtucket, Massachusetts, July 1848
• 
  Walcott Brothers' factory in 1855
• 
  The Pawtucket Times Building
• 
  Pawtucket in 1886 viewed from the steeple of the Pawtucket Congregational Church

Pawtucket is located at 41°52′32″N 71°22′34″W.[12]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.0 square miles (23 km²), of which, 8.7 square miles (23 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) of it (2.89%) is water. Pawtucket lies within three drainage basins. These include the Blackstone River (including the Seekonk River), the Moshassuck River and the Ten Mile River.

As of the census[4] of 2010, there were 71,141 people, 32,055 households, and 18,508 families residing in the city. Pawtucket was the fourth most populous of Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns. The population density was 8,351.2 people per square mile (3,223.0/km²). There were 32,055 housing units at an average density of 3,642.2 per square mile (1,405.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 50.4% Non-Hispanic white, 18.9% Non-Hispanic African American, 0.60% Native American, 1.6% Non-Hispanic Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, mixed race 3.9%, 4.7% other. About 25% of residents are Latino.

There were 32,055 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,124, and the median income for a family was $40,578. Males had a median income of $31,129 versus $23,391 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,008. About 14.9% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.

According to the 2000 census, 20.6% of Pawtucket residents are French or French-Canadian.[13] Like nearby cities Providence, R.I., Fall River, Mass., and New Bedford, Mass., Pawtucket hosts a significant population from across the former Portuguese Empire (11.6%)[13] plus an extremely significant Cape Verdean population. The segment from Cape Verde Islands was featured in this Zip Code USA article from National Geographic magazine.

Pawtucket is also one of the few areas of the United States with a significant Liberian population, mostly refugees from Charles Taylor's regime. Rhode Island has the highest per capita Liberian population in the country. Pawtucket has a high concentration of West Africans.

Pawtucket Armory Center for the Arts (former Pawtucket Armory), with The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre in annex

The City of Pawtucket has been supportive of the Arts Community since 1975. On September 2, 1977, The Beach Boys performed a concert at Narragansett Park attended by 40,000 people, the largest concert audience in Rhode Island history. In 2017, music historians Al Gomes and Connie Watrous of Big Noise were successful in getting the street where the concert stage stood (the corner of 455 Narragansett Park Drive) officially renamed as "Beach Boys Way".[14][15] [16]

The American-French Genealogical Society was founded in Pawtucket in 1978.[17]

In 1998, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a law creating a 307-acre Arts and Entertainment District in the City's historic downtown . Over the past decades various organizations have been active in continuing that support of the local arts community and beyond.

In January, 1999, Herb Weiss, of the Planning Department, was hired to oversee the City's newly created Arts District. Through the support of then Mayor James E. Doyle and Planning Department Michael Cassidy, Weiss brought significant recognition for Pawtucket-Arts oriented development strategy . Mayor Doyle and Arts Czar Weiss hired researcher Ann Galligan, of Northeastern University, to create an arts and cultural plan. Over the years Pawtucket has become known as a center for arts and culture .

Several experimental/indie rock bands have recorded albums at Machines with Magnets, a recording studio and art gallery in Downtown Pawtucket. Bands that have performed or recorded here include Battles, Lightning Bolt, Brown Bird, and Fang Island.

The success of the works was seen in nationwide publicity in publications such as New York Times , The Wall Street Journal , Christian Scientist Monitor . Pawtucket even found itself named in Art Calendar's "Ten Great Towns for Working Arts."Pawtucket’s transformation into an arts community is chronicled in a 53 minute documentary in 2008, Pawtucket Rising, produced by Jason Caminiti, a Fall River film maker, documenting the City’s successful efforts in bringing artist and cultural activities to blighted areas Pawtucket Rising.

One hub for arts and culture in the city is Lorraine Mills, a repurposed mill building on the eastern side of the city, which houses institutions including Mixed Magic Theatre, Wage House (comedy club), Pawtucket Arts Collaborative, and Crooked Current Brewery.[18][19]

Each September, the city, in conjunction with the Pawtucket Arts Festival Board of Directors, members chosen from the community, produce an annual citywide Arts Festival . Former Mayor Doyle created the City’s month-long event. Much of the work implementing the vision of Mayor Doyle and growing this month-long Arts Festival was done by Herb Weiss. Weiss, among other awards, was honored as the inaugural winner of the "PAF Excellence Award" for his work as the "foremost ambassador for the arts and culture". James Doyle was the Pawtucket Foundation Heritage Award Winner for 2011

A night game in 2002 at McCoy Stadium

Pawtucket is home to McCoy Stadium, where the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Triple-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, played from 1970 to 2020. The team was owned by Ben Mondor until his death and was sold by his estate. The longest professional baseball game in history, 33 innings, was played at McCoy Stadium in 1981.[20] Pawtucket has a history of professional baseball dating back to 1892, including the Pawtucket Indians. The PawSox franchise was relocated to Worcester, Massachusetts, to become the Worcester Red Sox beginning with the 2021 season.[21]

In 1934, the Narragansett Park opened for Thoroughbred horse racing. Until its closure in 1978, the track hosted several important races that drew some of the top horses from around the United States including Hall of Fame members; Seabiscuit, War Admiral and Gun Bow.

Slater Memorial Park

• Slater Memorial Park has full recreational facilities including tennis courts and picnic areas.
• Daggett Farm
• Water Color Gallery open to the public for viewing
• Daggett House
• Marconi Garden

Hasbro, a Fortune 1000 toy and game making company, is headquartered in Pawtucket.[24]

Many Healthcare, Retail and Insurance companies are headquartered in Pawtucket. [25]

Fox Point Pickles, a pickling company, is headquartered in Pawtucket.

• Pawtucket has been frequently referenced in the cartoon series Family Guy, specifically the "Pawtucket Brewery", Peter Griffin's place of work from Season 4 onwards, the character "Pawtucket Pat" and the beer "Pawtucket Patriot", though no brewery existed in the real Pawtucket when the show first made references to them. The toy company Peter Griffin worked for early in the series was called the Happy-Go-Lucky Toy Co, the name a loose parody based on the name of the Hasbro toy company based in Pawtucket. In general, there is a strong argument Pawtucket is the basis for the town of Quahog on the show.
• In the 1999 film Outside Providence, the movie's main character, Tim Dunphy, grew up in Pawtucket. Many different Pawtucket locations are seen in the movie, including the police station.
• American Buffalo, a 1996 film, was filmed in Pawtucket.
• In December 1993, a character on the NBC sitcom Nurses called Pawtucket a pit. Then-mayor Bob Metivier appeared on the show months later in a cameo looking for an apology.
• The swimming pool at Tolman High School was used for the 1990 movie Mermaids.
• In the 1945 movie Brewster's Millions the lead character, Montague L. Brewster, was from Pawtucket.

• Belper, Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom

Belper was where Samuel Slater had been apprenticed to Jedediah Strutt, learning the secrets of Richard Arkwright's Water Frame (and is sometimes known in that area as "Slater the traitor").[26] Belper holds an annual town festival in honor of Pawtucket and Belper being sister towns.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

• Pawtucket travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website
• Pawtucket, Rhode Island at Curlie