{"nrhp_refnum":"73000328","name":"Blackstone Canal","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"E of MA 122 between Northbridge and Uxbridge","address_restricted":false,"city":"Northbridge and vicinity","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.106572300500034,"lon":-71.62799588034943,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-02-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 3.5-mile section of the Blackstone Canal in Northbridge and Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts, part of a 45-mile canal from Worcester to Providence that was surveyed in 1822 and completed in 1828.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the canal as an early transportation route linking inland Worcester with the coastal trading center of Providence, built after decades of planning and strong regional support. The nominated section keeps the canal trough, towpath, a lock, and a trading house foundation in a largely natural setting with few modern intrusions.","narrative":"This 3.5-mile stretch of the Blackstone Canal runs through Northbridge and Uxbridge, west of the Blackstone River. It is part of a 45-mile waterway completed in 1828 between Worcester and Providence, with 27.5 miles in Massachusetts. The canal was meant to connect inland markets with coastal trade, an idea discussed since the 1790s. The route was surveyed in 1822, and the company cost $750,000, with two-thirds of the stock bought by Rhode Island investors. The nominated section keeps its trough and towpath on the east side, a granite lock that is largely intact, and the foundation of a trading house associated with merchant Israel Plummer, dated to 1836-37. Parts of the towpath are lost under Rice City Pond, and a dam and water gates near Hartford Road were added after canal use ended. The surrounding land is wooded and marshy, and it has seen few intrusions beyond the canal itself.","period_of_significance":"1822-28","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is marked good and altered. The canal is listed as having no present use and as open space, with parts obliterated by Rice City Pond and a broken dam.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.693226-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/14/7975/63797514/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/73000328.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000328/b1aacc7bcf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000328/b1aacc7bcf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WorcesterMA_BlackstoneCanal.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WorcesterMA_BlackstoneCanal.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797514","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57084142"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/blackstone-canal-73000328/"}