Rhode Island Tercentenary Issue First Day Cover
300th Anniversary of the Settlement of Rhode Island
Issued on May 4, 1936 in Providence, RI - Scott #777

Unofficial Town Cancel - Pawtucket, RI
Rhode Island Tercentenary Commission - Planty #777-18

The Pawtucket Post Office, (Pawtucket Township, Providence County) was established on January 22, 1807 according to USPS records but according to Merolla, Jackson and Crowther - "Rhode Island Postal History - The Post Offices" published in 1977' it was established on July 1, 1807. The first Postmaster was Otis Tiffany. The Post Office is currently in operation under Postmaster Jenny A. Mckay-Fazzina appointed on January 11, 2003.

Pawtucket was founded in 1671 near the falls of the Blackstone River and is the site of the Slater Mill.

The original Slater Mill was built in 1793,  it's dimensions were 29 feet by 42 feet. Constructed of wood, it resembled a period farmhouse and the long narrow shape of the building facilitated the transfer of power from the water wheel to the textile machinery. The basic design of the Slater Mill was repeated throughout Rhode Island  and New England on later cotton mills.

The Old Slater Mill is now used as a  museum that showcases the history of textile manufacturing in America. There are 24 machines in the mill built between 1775 and 1922 which demonstrate the process of turning cotton into cloth. The Mill also includes a small movie theater and film history of the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Slater and his brother also established the town of Slatersville on the Branch River in North Smithfield, RI. The town included the Slatersville Mill; the largest mill in the country during that time. The town contained tenement houses for workers, the mill owner's home and a company store.

Pawtucket continued to develop it's textile industry during the 1800s along with machine and iron working shops and it became an important manufacturing center. Currently Pawtucket produces textile products, Jewelry, silverware and metal products. The current population is over 73,000.

Sources:
Check List of Rhode Island Post Offices 1790-1994 - Del Beaudreau
Rhode Island Postal History: The Post Offices - Merolla, Jackson & Crowther