Small businesses breathe life into historic mills in Pawtucket, RI

Blackstone-Millville Regional High School | Blackstone, MA

In 1793, Samuel Slater built the first American water-powered mill in a small Rhode Island town called Pawtucket. Today, Pawtucket is still struggling to recover from the collapse of its once booming textile and manufacturing industries. In this story, we learn how artists and small businesses, from every generation, are transforming Pawtucket by moving into abandoned mill spaces.

Produced by Haley Carroll, Alexis Cox, Emily Elston, Olivia Jacques, Erin McDonald, and Patricia Anderson at Blackstone-Millville Regional High School in Blackstone, Massachusetts. Instruction provided by SRL Connected Educator Damien Gaudet. Station support provided by Rhode Island PBS and Victor Fernandez and Kristy Choi from PBS NewsHour.

See full series: Making it Work: Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Jobs.