The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Woonsocket

WOONSOCKET, a town of Providence co., Rhode Island, on both sides of Blackstone river, 16 m. N. N. W. of the city of Providence; pop. in 1870, 11,527; in 1875, 13,576. It borders N. on Massachusetts. Just across the line dividing it from North Smithfield is Woonsocket hill, 580 ft. high, the highest point in Rhode Island, with a pond on its summit. The town has railroad communication by means of the Providence and Worcester and the New York and New England (Woonsocket and Boston division) lines. There are falls in the river. The manufacture of cotton and woollen goods is the principal industry. There are 17 cotton mills with upward of 200,000 spindles, seven woollen mills with 70 sets of cards, and three worsted mills; aggregate capital, from $4,000,000 to $5,000,000. Other establishments are an iron foundery, four machine shops, two manufactories of washing machines, one of rubber goods, and one of musical instruments. There are six national banks, with an aggregate capital of $857,000; five savings banks, with deposits amounting to $4,400,000; graded public schools, including a high school; a free public library (Harris institute), the gift of the late Edward Harris, with 6,000 volumes; two daily, one semi-weekly, and two weekly newspapers, two of which are in French; and eight churches.—Woonsocket was taken from the towns of Cumberland and Smithfield, and was incorporated in 1867.