BlockBefore
Photograph of Blackstone Viaduct
Photograph by Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 4.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Blackstone Viaduct

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. 21 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1886.

From the record

One of 686 National Register listings published here for Worcester County · listed in 2002 · category: Structure.

Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 11 structuress as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. Canal, Farnum and Mill Sts., Blackstone
  • When was it listed? 2002-02-05
  • Category. structure
  • National Register reference number. 01001558 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

125 since 2002

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 125 fires within 5 miles of Blackstone Viaduct between 2002 and 2020, burning about 89 acres in total. None started naturally. 25 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined47
Arson/incendiarism25
Debris and open burning22
Recreation and ceremony17
Smoking10
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Other causes1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2009Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreRhode Island Division of Forest Environmentnot named
8 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
8 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
8 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreRhode Island Division of Forest Environmentnot named
3 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
29 September 2002Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachussetts State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
27 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreRhode Island Division of Forest Environmentnot named

Every fire recorded in Worcester County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 258 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 258 specimens collected within 10 miles of Blackstone Viaduct between 1844 and 1974: 124 Plantae, 97 Animalia, 23 Fungi, 9 Protozoa, 3 Unrecorded, 2 Chromista. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. R. Hodgdon; F. L. Steele, A. R. Hodgdon; F. L. Steele and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Chilonectria coryli (Fuckel) Ellis & Everh.Chilonectria coryli (Fuckel) Ellis & Everh.1896Henderson
Specimen of Coryneum pulvinatum KunzeCoryneum pulvinatum Kunze1897D. Murray
A photograph of the species Trichophorum planifolium, not of this specimenTrichophorum planifolium (Spreng.) Palla1844Collector unspecifiedUxbridge
A photograph of the species Carex vesicaria, not of this specimenCarex vesicaria L.1848J. W. Robbins
A photograph of the species Potamogeton epihydrus, not of this specimenPotamogeton epihydrus Raf.1848J. W. RobbinsUxbridge
A photograph of the species Potamogeton bicupulatus, not of this specimenPotamogeton bicupulatus Fernald1854W. J. RobbinsUxbridge
A photograph of the species Carex brevior, not of this specimenCarex brevior (Dewey) Mack.1855J. W. Robbins
A photograph of the species Carex normalis, not of this specimenCarex normalis Mack.1855J. W. Robbins
A photograph of the species Carex siccata, not of this specimenCarex siccata Dewey1855J. W. Robbins
A photograph of the species Carex straminea, not of this specimenCarex straminea Willd. ex Schkuhr1855J. W. Robbins
A photograph of the species Hyla versicolor, not of this specimenHyla versicolor LeConte, 18251857Weinland, David Friedrich
Sterna hirundo hirundo Linnaeus, 17581892Babbitt, J PMassachusetts

All 258 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 24 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 24 workings within 5 miles of Blackstone Viaduct: 13 past producers, 5 producers, 3 unknowns, 2 occurrences. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Iron, Titanium, Metal, Vanadium, Molybdenum. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Copper HillMolybdenumOccurrenceChalcopyrite, Molybdenite, Scheelite
Copper Mine HillTungsten, Copper, Garnet, Molybdenum, IronOccurrenceMagnetite, Scheelite
Iron Mine HillIron, TitaniumProspect
Iron Mine Hill DepositIron, Titanium, Metal, VanadiumPast Producer
Iron Mine Hill DepositIron, CopperPast ProducerMagnetite
Manville QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenUnknown
C Pezza and Son IncSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Candlewood Recreation AreaSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Fortes Brothers Co IncSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Greenville Road MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknown

Every working recorded in Worcester County

Storms near this property

11 since 1999

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Blackstone, the town this property stands in, in 11 storm reports between 1999 and 2020: 3 thunderstorm wind, 3 flood, 2 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2004LightningBlackstone1 hurtno account filed
August 2003Thunderstorm WindBlackstone$10,000no account filed
May 2018FloodEast Blackstone$5,000At 5:23 PM EST, Main Street in Blackstone was flooded and impassable. A car was trapped in the floodwaters and towed out.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindEast Blackstone$5,000A tree was downed onto wires at the intersection of Milk and Chestnut Streets in Blackstone.
June 2020Flash FloodBlackstone$4,000In Blackstone, two cars were stuck in flood waters on Rathbun Street. Roadway was impassable.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindEast Blackstone$1,000In Blackstone, a tree was down on Federal Street near the Hartnett Middle School. Trees and wires were down on Farm Street.
August 2019FloodBlackstone$500In Blackstone, a car was stuck in flood waters on Rathbun Street.
July 2018Flash FloodBlackstone-At 4:22 pm EST heavy rain in Blackstone made Rathbun Street at Champlain Avenue flooded and impassable.
November 2018FloodEast Blackstone-In Blackstone, Main Street was closed due to flooding. A car was stuck in flood waters on Main Street near CVS Pharmacy.
June 2006HailBlackstone-no account filed
September 1999Heavy RainBlackstone-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Worcester County

Maps showing this location

21 surveys

United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.

From the nomination file

10,184 words on record

When this property was proposed for the National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is, and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain. It is quoted below word for word, never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s typewriter's.

Statement of significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) XA Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. - B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. xC Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. -D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: -A owned by religious institution or used for religious purposes. - B removed from its original location. _ C a birthplace or grave. _D a cemetery. -E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. - F a commemorative property. -G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years.

Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) _Worcester, MA County and State Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) COMMERCE ENGINEERING TRANSPORTATION Period of Significance 1872-1951 Significant Dates 1872: Construction of viaduct completed 1918: Concrete sheathing added Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) n/a Cultural Affiliation N/a Architect/Builder Boston, Hartford & Erie RR, Boston Bridge Works American Bridge Company 9.

The whole case file for this property - 10,184 words, 34 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 01001558, 34 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 01001558 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Worcester CountyAll 686 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.