Quick History Stops: Blackstone, MA, Part 2
In June 2026, after I gave a violin concert at the Blackstone Public Library, I took a walk to explore quick history stops in Blackstone, MA. This will be a three-part miniseries. The first part described the library, a memorial, churches, bridges, and the fire/police station. This second part will focus on Saranac Dam Overlook, the Blackstone River Greenway in Blackstone River & Canal Heritage State Park, Blackstone Block, the Civil War memorial, the post office, and Veteran’s Memorial Corner.
Saranac Dam Overlook has a plaque dedicating the area to Jesse Edward Deacon, a World War II veteran. According to the sign, his grandfather was the superintendent during the construction of Saranac Dam. After a little digging, I found a reference to Daniel Simmons constructing the Dam in 1856 to provide water power for Waterford Mills. Daniel had a son named Walter Lincoln Simmons, who had a daughter named Nora Mabel Simmons Deacon, who was the mother of Jesse, making the superintendent the great-grandfather rather than the grandfather. Close enough. Jesse lived in Blackstone for his entire life except for his time in the Army, where he fought in China, Burma (Myanmar), and India. He died in 2019 at age 94, and the lookout was named for him shortly after. A short walking distance from the plaque is the Blackstone River Greenway, including Danny’s Bridge dedicated to Danny O’Brien, the Director of the Bikeways Program under the Department of Environmental Management on the Greenway Vision Project Team. Despite his importance to the project, Danny has almost no public record, but he was clearly an essential part of establishing the trails.
Down the hill from Danny’s Bridge is Blackstone Block, a three-story red brick building that looks like it could have been a mill but was actually a gathering place constructed around 1849 by local businessman Welcome Farnum. In front of the building the Civil War Monument, erected in 1913 after the fundraising efforts of Annette “Nettie” Newton Matteson and essay writing skills of student Clarice Daniels. Rather than ordering from a catalogue, local stonecutter and RISD graduate James V. Murray of Woonsocket, RI was hired to design the soldier and pedestal. The opening of the monument was considered so extraordinary at the time that the area was renamed Monument Square. Forty-six of the seven hundred and twenty men from Blackstone who served during the American Civil War died during the war. Across the street is Union House, formerly Union Hotel, an 1853 building intended to house railroad passengers.
I take a picture of the post office in every town I visit, and this one stood out for being particularly ugly. To me, this appears to be an inexpensive 1960s or 1970s post office design. The building is one story high and made of red brick with long, narrow windows on the left half of the front of the building and tall, square windows on the right half. A wall of brick juts out from the center of the roof for no clear reason. More satisfying was the final stop for this section, Veteran’s Memorial Corner. The roadside plaque was donated by the Blackstone Memorial Veterans of Foreign War Posts on November 11, 2011 to commemorate all those who served. A carved stone next to the memorial helpfully points out nearby landmarks, including Christ Community Church, local schools, and Daniels Farmstead. I loved the manicules pointing up the hill, a whimsical touch to excellent wayfinding.
