Burrillville History

Visit the "Railroad Stations" photo album now online in our Gallery!  Just click on "Photo Gallery" in the menubar.

We've assembled some photos of the local Railroad Stations, a big part of Burrillville’s history.

The railroad came to Burrillville due to the efforts of mill owners William Tinkham of Harrisville and Albert Sayles of Pascoag. They needed another way to receive their raw goods and to transport the finished materials around the country.

The development of the railroad expanded the ability of all the other local mills, and also made it possible for people from this northwest corner of Rhode Island to expand their horizons. The Providence and Springfield Railroad opened for traffic to Pascoag from Providence in August 1873.  The boom lasted until the early 1960’s when the last train took its final trip from Pascoag.