Olneyvillle is one of the city's oldest neighborhhods in the Woonasquatucket river valley and belongs to the land that Roger Williams had acquired in 1636. Settlement began around 1700. Streets and mills were built int he 18th Century, and Olneyville remained a major industrial center through the 19th Century (most conspicuous example are the Atlantic Mills of 1851ff.) Two-family working class houses followed. The the decline of industry Olneyville went through the typical cycle of decline in the 1970s and recovery in the 1990s.

For further information on Olneyville, consult the Providence Plan website.
 
 
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