Valley Talks: The Birth and Death of a Textile Mill with Genealogist Bonnie Wade Mucia

Valley Talks, a series of biweekly historical lectures, continues Sunday, February 9 at 1:30 p.m. at the Museum of Work & Culture. This year, all Valley Talks will be presented in a hybrid format, meaning guests have the option of joining the speaker in person at the Museum or online through Zoom.

Industrial mills once dotted the landscape in New England, particularly along the Blackstone River Valley, which extends from Worcester, Massachusetts, to Providence, Rhode Island. These mills are gradually disappearing because they fall into disrepair, require too much maintenance, and are filled with hazardous materials like asbestos. Therefore, tearing them down is more cost-effective. Join genealogist Bonnie Wade Mucia as she explores the history of the Bonin Spinning Company Mill in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, which met this fate in 2022, just before its hundredth anniversary.

Admission to the Valley Talk is free, but registration is required. Guests can register online at rihs.simpletix.com.

Bonnie Wade Mucia is the owner of Keeper of the Past Genealogy, LLC, and a professional genealogist focusing on New England research, with a special interest in northern Rhode Island. She serves as Director of the Mayflower Families Silver Books Project for the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, concentrating on Mayflower passengers’ descendants. Bonnie has published articles in respected genealogical journals, including the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s Mayflower Descendant, Rhode Island Roots Journal of the Rhode Island Genealogical Society, The Maine Genealogist, The Nova Scotia Genealogist, and others. Originally from Woonsocket, Bonnie lives with her husband, Joseph, in South Carolina.

Other Valley Talks will include:

February 23: Learn about the lives of textile workers with a talk by photographer Steve Dunwell based on his exhibit, With These Hands, which will be open in the Museum’s rotating gallery from February 21st until April 26th, 2025.

March 9: Celebrate the beginning of Francophonie month with University of Rhode Island Professor Linda Welters as she presents quilts from the French-Canadian immigrants who came to Rhode Island to work in the textile mills.

March 23: Join Paul Bourget as he takes a closer look at “America’s Sistine Chapel,” St. Ann’s Church in Woonsocket, and explores its artistry, history, and community.

The Museum’s 2025 Valley Talks series is presented by the Museum of Work & Culture Preservation Foundation and the RI AFL-CIO.