North Smithfield, Rhode Island
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| North Smithfield, Rhode Island | |
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  North Smithfield, Rhode Island
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Rhode Island |
| County | Providence |
| Area | |
| - Total | 24.7 sq mi (64.1 km²) |
| - Land | 24.0 sq mi (62.3 km²) |
| - Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km²) |
| Elevation | 361 ft (110 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 10,618 |
| - Density | 441.7/sq mi (170.6/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 02824, 02896 |
| Area code(s) | 401 |
| FIPS code | 44-52480[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1219815[2] |
North Smithfield in the 19th century
North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in the 17th century and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterford, Branch Village, Union Village, Park Square, and Slatersville. The population was 10,618 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.7 square miles (64.1 km²), of which, 24.0 square miles (62.3 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (2.83%) is water. North Smithfield is in a New England upland region. The Branch River and Blackstone Rivers provided much of the power for the early mills in the town.
[edit] History
In the 17th century British colonists settled in North Smithfield developing a farming community that they named after Smithfield, London in England.[3]. The town was part of Smithfield, Rhode Island until it was incorporated as North Smithfield in 1871.[3] The first colonization occurred after a Native American, "William Minnian, (or Quashawannamut) "of Punkkupage" of Massachusetts Bay on May 14, 1666, deeded approximately 2,000 acres" to John Mowry and Edward Inman who partnered with Nathaniel Mowry, John Steere, and Thomas Walling in dividing up the purchased tract.[3]. In the early 18th century, a Quaker Colony developed in what is now North Smithfield (then Smithfield), which extended into south Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Today North Smithfield is part of the John H. Chaffee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. The Blackstone Valley is the oldest industrialized region in the U.S. The village of Slatersville was built by Samuel Slater and his brother John Slater beginning in 1803.[4] It is a well preserved original New England mill village with worker housing and commercial buildings. This village is in fact America's first planned industrial mill village.[5] Samuel and John's family owned this mill and the village until the turn of the 19th to the 20th century.[4] The famous Buxton family settled here before 1741 in a homestead on Buxton Street. [6] Samuel and his son Benjamin had come here from Salem, Massachusetts, and were Rhode Island colonists.[6] Benjamin's son, Captain James Buxton, was born in the family homestead, was well known in the Revolutionary War period[6], and is buried in the family cemetery on Buxton, Street.[6] A re-creation of a fife and drum corps in Uxbridge has adopted the name of Captain James Buxton though he was from Smithfield.[7] Buxton Street is located at a state border section a.k.a. Ironstone. The Church on the Green at Slatersville was long known as a Buxton church.[6] Union Village, along Rhode Island Route 146A became prominment since 1820 when it was an important stagecoach stop on the route along Great Road.[5] Union Village was also home to a hat shop, taverns, an academy and the Union Bank from which it gets its name. [5]
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 10,618 people, 3,954 households, and 2,957 families residing in the town. The population density was 441.7 people per square mile (170.5/km²). There were 4,070 housing units at an average density of 169.3/sq mi (65.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.32% White, 0.42% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.47% of the population.
There were 3,954 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $58,602, and the median income for a family was $67,331. Males had a median income of $43,133 versus $30,748 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,031. About 1.9% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Historic Places in North Smithfield
- Slatersville, America's first industrial mill village, established by John Slater and Samuel Slater in 1803
- Smithfield Friends Meeting House, Parsonage & Cemetery 18th-19th century Quaker community
- Peleg Arnold Tavern
- Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor
- Forestdale Mill Village Historic District
- Tyler Mowry House
- William Mowry House
- Smithfield Road Historic District
- Three Dog Site, RI-151
- Todd Farm
- Union Village Historic District
[edit] Notable people
- Peleg Arnold - delegate to the Continental Congress and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court[8]
- Jeff Jillson - National Hockey League player
[edit] Adjacent Communities
- Woonsocket, Rhode Island
- Blackstone, Massachusetts
- Millville, Massachusetts
- Uxbridge, Massachusetts
- Burrillville, Rhode Island
- Lincoln, Rhode Island
- Cumberland, Rhode Island
- Smithfield, Rhode Island
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b c Nebiker, Walter (1976). "the History of North Smithfield". Somersworth, NH: New England History Press.
- ^ a b Samuel Slater/The Mill Village, Slatersville/Woonsocket. Woonsocket.org. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
- ^ a b c Plan your visit/Valley sites/Cumberland, North Smithfield, Smithfield. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
- ^ a b c d e Buxton Family Genealogy Home Page. geocities.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
- ^ Martial Musick in Uxbridge Massachusetts 1727-Present. www.anglefire.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
- ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.
[edit] External links
- The Church on the Green at Slatersville, long a Buxton Church
- Samuel Slater, Father of the American industrial revolution, Slatersville, the mill village/with photos
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