As part of my "Rhode Island Neighborhoods" series I decided to visit Central Falls this afternoon. This one-square-mile community has the distinction of being the smallest city in the smallest state in the US. It also has the highest crime rate in the state - a fact that was clearly at the forefront of my mind as I walked the short block from my car to this intersection with my Canon 5dMIII dangling from my neck. It's interesting, though, that the most photogenic (to me) neighborhoods are also the most dangerous. Fortunately, both I and my camera made it back intact.
Nestled along the Blackstone River, this tiny community is sandwiched between the historic mill villages of Valley Falls and Pawtucket Falls, both of which played significant roles in the American Industrial Revolution. The proximity of those two villages are what gave this community it's name - Central Falls. Originally part of the extremely large but predominantly rural town of Smithfield, Central Falls was split into the town of Lincoln when Smithfield was divided into thirds in 1871. Economic necessity forced another split in 1895, however, and the City of Central Falls was officially created. The architecture seen in today's photo is typical of the early 19th century settlement when Central Falls was just a tiny mill village on Valley Pike (now Broad Street).
Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I then adjusted color sensitivity sliders, adaptive exposure, regions, boost black, boost white, contrast, and protect highlights. A levels adjustment and a sepia photo filter were added in PSE.
