1900 Map of Blackstone

About this map

The Blackstone River corridor serves as the industrial and transit backbone of this Massachusetts and Rhode Island borderlands survey. Extensive rail networks, including the Boston & Albany R. R. and the New York New Haven and Hartford R. R., connect a dense string of mill settlements such as Whitinsville, Fisherville, and Saundersville. The landscape is defined by its water power and geologic curiosities, notably the dramatic fissure at Purgatory Chasm near the settlement of Purgatory. To the north, Lake Quinsigamond and several large reservoirs like Whitehall Pond indicate a highly managed hydraulic system supporting the region's manufacturing growth. From the busy yards at Millbury Junc. to the southern border village of Blackstone, this map documents the peak of the valley's late-industrial rail and water-powered economy.