The Blackstone Canal opened in 1828. It provided an easily accessible route that linked Worcester to nearby Providence and allowed a cheaper and more efficient transportation of goods. Irish-born contractor Tobias Boland purchased swampland along the planned route in 1826. He brought Irish immigrants to build the canal. They became the first residents of what we know today as Green Island.
The canal helped to put Worcester on the map. Boston investors wanted a connection to Worcester, too, and constructed a railroad linking the cities. By 1848, the success of the Worcester-Providence/Boston railroads had completely shut down the Blackstone Canal. The growing neighborhood was squeezed between the canal, Mill Brook, and new railroad. Many residents characterized it as an “island,” giving the neighborhood its first name.
By the 1870s, the Blackstone Canal in Worcester was entirely covered. Today it sits underneath Harding Street. Railroads continue to dominate the neighborhood with their noise and tracks, while the canal exists underground and in the name “the Canal District.”
