Lonsdale, Historic manufacturing district in Lincoln and Cumberland, Rhode Island.
Lonsdale is a historic manufacturing district in Lincoln and Cumberland featuring mill buildings, worker housing, and industrial structures spread along the Blackstone River. The district shows the typical layout of a 19th century factory town with residential and industrial areas developed together.
Settlement began in 1635 when William Blaxton established a community on the Lincoln side of the Blackstone River. The area later became an important textile manufacturing center during the industrial growth of the 19th century.
The textile mills defined how people lived and worked in this area, with factory owners and workers living in close proximity. You can see this relationship reflected in the mix of larger industrial buildings and modest worker homes scattered throughout the district.
The district sits near Rhode Island Route 146 and Route 95, making it easy to reach by car. Walking through the area on foot helps you see how the factory town was organized and laid out.
During the 1922 textile strike, ten families lost the homes provided by their employers over wage cuts and longer work shifts. This event shows the difficult relationship between workers and mill owners during that era.
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