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Capron Park in Uxbridge to be re-dedicated
Honoring noted abolitionist, Effingham Capron September 11, 2012 ... Capron Park, a node of the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park located on Route 16 next to the Mumford River, will be rededicated in honor of Effingham Capron, a nationally recognized leader of the anti-slavery movement prior to America’s Civil War, announced Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge. The public ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2012 at 4pm at the park. The park was initially called Capron Park when it was dedicated in 1986 and got its name from nearby Capron Pond. The pond was named for the Capron Family who operated the mill across the street from 1820 through much of the 19th Century. Effingham L. Capron, son of the mill’s founder, John Capron, operated the mill and was a prominent local businessman. Effingham Capron, a Quaker, became an ardent abolitionist in the anti-slavery movement of the pre-Civil War period and was the head of the local branch of the famed “Underground Railroad” which helped escaped slaves reach freedom in Canada. “During this 150th anniversary of the Civil War, it is fitting to honor a local resident who worked for one of the principal causes of that great conflict that split ‘brother against brother,’” explained Sen. Moore. Legislation, sponsored by the Senator and Rep. Kevin Kuros, R-Uxbridge, will officially name the park for Effingham Capron. The bill has already passed the Senate and is awaiting final action in the House. The Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park is a linear park along the Blackstone River that was established in the nineteen eighties through the efforts of then-Sen. James A. Kelly, Jr., D-Oxford, and Sen. Moore, when he served in the House of Representatives. Most of the park is located in Uxbridge and Northbridge with a visitors’ center at River Bend Farm on Oak Street in Uxbridge. Additional features include Capron Park in Uxbridge center; the Millville Canal Lock off Central Street in Millville; and Blackstone Gorge at the end of County Street in Blackstone. The planned Blackstone Valley Greenway/Bikeway is also a related feature to the park system. |
