Today's photo is another from my "Neighborhoods of Rhode Island" series, this time featuring the center of Woonsocket. The history of this culturally rich neighborhood originates in the pre-colonial era when the land was owned by the adjoining Nipmuc, Wampanoag, and Narragansett Indian tribes. They collectively sold the land to Roger Williams in 1661, although the region remained relatively wild into the 19th century. Woonsocket Falls Village - so named because of the waterfall on the Blackstone River about a block south of this spot - wasn't founded until the 1820s. At the time, this section was part of the town of Cumberland. As the American Industrial Revolution spread from nearby Pawtucket (then North Providence) this area flourished economically. Several industrial mills were built along the Blackstone River, and 1860 the town of Woonsocket was born. The area's economic decline started with the Great Depression, however, and despite a brief boom during World War II when the city was a prime textile supplier to the US military, the historic mills are now either abandoned, reused for small shops and restaurants, or converted to condominiums.
Post processing started with a detail light filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted adaptive exposure, regions, and contrast. A levels adjustment was added in PSE.
