Situated in the banks of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the Slater Mill Historic Site is the location of the historic Slater Mill. Founded by Samuel Slater, it is the first water-powered cotton spinning mill modeled after cotton spinning mills that were established in England. This made it the first of its sort in North America to use Richard Awkright?s system of cotton spinning.

Slater actually brought the concept to the United States. He built and designed the machineries needed to run the mill, including the things that will be used for utilizing the water for power. His methods, including the idea of hiring families and children to work in his mill, caught on and became the ?Rhode Island System?.

The Slater Mill was built around 1793 and became a museum in 1921 through the Old Slater Mill Association.