Welcome to Hopedale, one of six sites that make up Blackstone River Valley National Historical
Park. Hopedale is a planned community with a complex history.
In the 1840s, a small association of radicals started a commune here. They advocated
temperance, abolition, women's rights, Christian socialism, and non-violence. Their experiment
was relatively short-lived, but one business that came out of the commune proved to be a more
lasting success. During this tour, you will learn about Hopedale’s early idealistic residents and
the rise of the Draper company, which became one of the largest producers of textile machines in the world. Today, the physical imprint of Draper is much smaller than it used to be, but traces of the Drapers’ legacy-and some elements of that commune period- remain.
We invite you to travel back in time, commune with nature, and discover the industrial legacy
still imprinted on the Dale of Hope.
Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service