From Paula:
THURSDAY’S SPECIAL: URBAN ART
You don’t have to wait in lines or purchase tickets to see it. It is out there open to everybody and free and it changes the character of a town or at least some parts of it. It is called urban art and I love it.
Finding urban art in a town like this isn’t easy. We aren’t urban. Not even suburban. More like exurban or downright rural. Still, there is something.
I’m not sure when this piece was put together. It predates spray paint and graffiti. My guess is it was created around 1888 — the hey day of our town. That was when the Blackstone Valley was the center of New England’s mill and American industry. The river was lined with factories and mills end-to-end.
The river is a lot cleaner without mills, though the town is much smaller than it was at its peak. There’s nothing “urban” about Uxbridge in the 21st century … but it’s a good place to live.
Categories: #Photography, Arts, New England
Hats off to the artist and photographer. This is a wonderful surprise, Marilyn. Thank you.
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Thanks, Paula. It’s the closest thing in town to “urban art.” I guess you could call it art … urban from the 19th century 🙂
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Such treasure 🙂
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And it’s been there for more than 120 years. Imagine the time and love it took to create them.
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What a hidden treasure!
Leslie
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I’m not sure most people even realize it’s there, across from the dam. It’s not a place where most people walk.
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I wonder how many locals stop and check out these pieces of their history?
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They are actually pretty cool, but unless you are on foot by the dam, you probably won’t notice them. I wonder if any of the kids who walk past them even notice they are there.
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What a wonderful piece of art! I can only imagine it took a long time to complete
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There used to be a whole mill complex behind that wall. The mill stopped being a mill close on 100 years ago. Was briefly a sort of mall … and about 7 years ago, burned to the ground … a fire that lasted weeks before it finally was put to rest. All that’s left now is the chimney and the wall with its mosaics. I’m guessing it was built by the owners of the mill. They used to do some really fancy woodwork and art in the public areas of the old mills.
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What a wonderful piece of art.
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Indeed it is beautiful and intricate. It’s a reminder of what the town was like way back when.
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