| Blackstone
River Valley National Heritage Corridor - The
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor is a special type of
national park. It is a region of nearly 400,000 acres located within
Worcester County in central Massachusetts and Providence County in
northern Rhode Island. The National Corridor was designated by an Act of
Congress on November 10, 1986 to preserve and interpret for present and
future generations the unique and significant value of the Blackstone
Valley. It includes cities, towns, villages and almost one million
people.
Roger
Williams National Memorial - Roger Williams National
Memorial commemorates the life of the founder of Rhode Island and a
champion of the ideal of religious freedom. Williams, banished from
Massachusetts for his beliefs, founded Providence in 1636. This colony
served as a refuge where all could come to worship as their conscience
dictated without interference from the state. The Memorial is located on a
common lot of the original settlement of Providence and includes 4.5 acres
of landscaped park. |
|
Touro
Synagogue National Historic Site - Touro Synagogue,
dedicated in 1762, is the oldest synagogue in the United States and the
only one that survives from the colonial era. The congregation was
founded in 1658 by Sephardim, descendants of Marranos who fled the
Inquisition in Spain and Portugal and who were themselves seeking a
haven from religious persecution in the Caribbean. A trap door under the
bimah is symbolic of their fear and apprehension. But in America
they, like millions of others, found the religious toleration they had
so long sought. |