Wood River Junction, Rhode Island facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wood River Junction
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Village
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 Wood River Junction
Location in Rhode Island
Wood River Junction
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Rhode Island |
| County | Washington |
| Town | Richmond |
Wood River Junction is a small village in Richmond, Rhode Island, located in Washington County, Rhode Island, in the United States. It is known for being home to the main campus of the Chariho school district. Much of the land here used to be potato farms but is now mostly turf farms.
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Geography of Wood River Junction
Many local people think Wood River Junction is one of the coldest places in Rhode Island. This is because it is a low and flat area. The village is home to Meadowbrook Pond, also called Wood River Pond, which is a popular spot for fishing. Two rivers, the Wood River and the Pawcatuck River, flow around the village.
History of the Village
Early Railroad Days
Wood River Junction was once the site of a train station. It was first called Richmond Switch. A train line, the Wood River Branch Railroad, was started in 1872 and finished in 1874. This line was six miles long. It helped connect Hope Valley to the main train line of the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad. The station's name was changed to Wood River Junction in April 1874.
Later, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad took over the branch line in 1892. They stopped using it on August 8, 1947. However, the main train line is still used today by Amtrak as part of the Northeast Corridor.
The 1964 Nuclear Accident
On July 24, 1964, a serious accident happened at a nuclear facility near Wood River Junction. This facility, run by the United Nuclear Corporation, worked with enriched uranium. A technician named Robert Peabody was trying to clean a tank that held radioactive uranium-235 in a liquid. He accidentally added the wrong liquid. Instead of a cleaning chemical, he added more uranium solution.
This mistake caused a "criticality excursion." This means there was a sudden, uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction. It was like a very fast burst of energy. People saw a flash of light, and about 10 liters of the liquid splashed out of the tank.
Sadly, Robert Peabody received a very high dose of radiation from this accident. He passed away about two days later.
About 90 minutes after the first event, a second, smaller burst of energy happened. This occurred when a plant manager turned off a mixer in the tank. The manager and another person received some radiation, but they did not seem to have any bad effects.
Local emergency workers from the Hope Valley Ambulance Squad helped. They took the injured technician to Westerly Hospital first. However, that hospital was not set up for such a patient. So, the ambulance then took him to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.
Even though this event is often called the "Wood River Junction accident," it actually happened just across the river in Charlestown.
