North Smithfield: Rural Town on the Massachusetts Line
North Smithfield was set off from Smithfield in 1871 and occupies the northwestern corner of Providence County along the Massachusetts border. The town covers about 24 square miles and has a population of roughly 11,000. The villages of Slatersville and Forestdale developed around early mill operations in the nineteenth century. Slatersville, planned and built in 1803 by John Slater (brother of Samuel Slater of Pawtucket), is often cited as one of the first planned industrial villages in America.
The Slatersville Historic District preserves the mill house along the Branch River, the workers' housing on Slatersville Hill, and the Congregational church at the crown of the hill. The layout of the village with mill, owners' houses, workers' housing, and church arranged around a common green served as a model for company towns built across New England in the following decades.
Much of North Smithfield outside the villages remains forested, with agricultural tracts and conservation land preserving significant open space. The town operates a school district jointly with Burrillville for high school purposes.
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North Smithfield was set off from Smithfield in 1871 and occupies the northwestern corner of Providence County along the Massachusetts border. The town covers about 24 square miles and has a population of roughly 11,000. The villages of Slatersville and Forestdale developed around early mill operations in the nineteenth century. Slatersville, planned and built in 1803 by John Slater (brother of Samuel Slater of Pawtucket), is often cited as one of the first planned industrial villages in America.
The Slatersville Historic District preserves the mill house along the Branch River, the workers' housing on Slatersville Hill, and the Congregational church at the crown of the hill. The layout of the village with mill, owners' houses, workers' housing, and church arranged around a common green served as a model for company towns built across New England in the following decades.
Much of North Smithfield outside the villages remains forested, with agricultural tracts and conservation land preserving significant open space. The town operates a school district jointly with Burrillville for high school purposes.
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