Just a decade before Rhode Island became a state and Samuel Slater began textile manufacturing, the Blackstone River Valley was thriving as a manufacturer of chocolate.

Find out about the legacy of chocolate making with a free event tonight, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. as the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council presents A Living History Presentation of the William Wheat Chocolate Mill & 18th Century Chocolate Tasting. The event is at the Madeira Club, 46 Madeira Ave., Central Falls.

Guests will hear about early chocolate making from presenters who researched Rhode Island's early renown in candy manufacturing. Also, you can sample how chocolates were processed in the late 1700s with a chocolate tasting at the event, with servers dressed in period costume.

Eric J. Whitacre, executive director of the Confectioners Mill Preservation Society, and Dr. Timothy Walker, assistant professor of history at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, will present information on William Wheat and about the location of the Wheat Mill in present-day Central Falls.The Boston native made chocolate for the owner of a Providence retail trade.

From 1782-1824, the current mill district in Central Falls was originally part of Smithfield, and was referred to as "Chocolate Mills." Central Falls was named Chocolate Mill, after the Wheat chocolate factory established itself in 1782 and existed until 1824, considered by historians to be one of America's earliest candy makers.

For more details, call the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council at (401) 724-2200.

The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, the City of Central Falls, the Confectioners Mill Preservation Society and the Madeira Club are presenting this event.