One of the numerous historic sites in Rhode Island is the Slater Mill Museum located in Pawtucket. This is part of the Slater Mill that was the first cotton spinning mill in America that was powered by water and used the Arkwright method to spin the cotton. The mills founder was Samuel Slater who produced a variety of machines that were used to spin cotton in the 1790s. This included the machines that would card, draw, and spin the cotton yarn, and numerous families and children worked in this mill for many years.
This museum contains various exhibits that contain artifacts from the late 1700s as well as the arts and crafts from the period. The museum complex still contains the textile machinery, the 16,000 pound wheel, that is actually a replica of the original mill's wheel, and visitors can learn about the processes that children were taught to spin the yarn. Guests can tour the Sylvanus Brown home where they can learn about the quilting, weaving, spinning, and even the cooking that dominated the period.
Historians will find it interesting that the Slater Mill Museum depicts the women's right movement, and various stories of immigration and assimilation of this excellent historic site. This site is important for all Americans to understand the culture, education, and working environments of the people during the early settling of this great country.
When visiting the Slater Mill Museum, guests will enjoy seeing the artifacts from this period and learn some early American history.