Blackstone Canal, Providence, RI

These are photos of what remains of the downtown Providence end of the Blackstone Canal. The Canal was begun in 1825 and opened in 1828, connecting Providence to Worcester, Massachusetts. The timing was unfortunate--the Providence and Worcester Railroad was built in 1847, and the Canal was soon abandoned.

These views represent what's left of a later version of this stretch of the abandoned canal. By the late nineteenth century meat plants were located here, dumping their offal into the waters which carried it--along with other industrial waste--into the Cove Basin. Soon the pollution would force the city to landfill what remained of the Great Salt Cove.

Here's a website with pictures and information about the section of canal in South Grafton, Mass.