PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) — The historic Slater Mill in Pawtucket and the surrounding area are being taken over by the National Park Service.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed says the transfer of the Old Slater Mill Historic District from local control to federal control enhances opportunities for conservation, historic preservation, tourism, economic growth, education, and recreation.

Slater Mill, completed in 1793 on the banks of the Blackstone River, is the first successful water-powered spinning mill in the U.S. and helped set America’s Industrial Revolution in motion.