Oak Hill Neighborhood Walking Tour

Saturday, October 14, 10:30am

meet at the corner of Ridge and East Avenue

The Oak Hill neighborhood takes its name from the many oak trees growing in the area. The Old Post Road, now East and Pawtucket Avenues connected the mills in Pawtucket with the financial district of Providence. A local tavern, a garage and carriage stable, and several houses and businesses were built along this main road. Covering 170 acres, the neighborhood occupies portions of early farmlands that were eventually divided into five real estate plats: The German Coopera­tive Land Association Plat, Oak Hill Avenue Plat, Dryden Extension Plat, Sayles Heights Plat and Sayles Homestead Plat. These subdivisions were laid out between the 1870’s and the 1940’s; many of the lots were specifically designed to accommodate the increasing use of personal carriages and cars. The neighborhood was home to the Sayles brothers and the McCoy brothers, and many other factory managers and civil servants. You will also find the city’s only Jewish synagogue, the Art Deco-style Shea High School and the bucolic Riverside Cemetery. The tour is free, but we ask that you RSVP by emailing pawtucketpreservation@gmail.com.