Slater Park, Historic industrial complex in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Slater Park is a large recreational area in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, set along the Ten Mile River. The grounds contain athletic fields, tennis courts, a disc golf course, open green spaces, and a historic mill building that still stands on site.
Samuel Slater built the first water-powered cotton mill in America here in 1793, which marked the beginning of industrial manufacturing in the United States. The site was later converted into a public park and still carries his name today.
The Rhode Island Watercolor Society holds regular art exhibitions inside the Potter Casino, a Colonial Revival building on the park grounds. Visitors can walk through shows featuring both contemporary and traditional watercolor works by local and regional artists.
The park is open year-round and works well for both short visits and longer outings. Paths range from paved walkways to natural trails, so wearing sturdy shoes makes it easier to get around the whole area.
A wooden carousel built in 1910 by Charles Looff, with hand-carved horses, still runs inside its original structure in the park. It is one of the few surviving Looff carousels still in operation anywhere in the country.
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