
February 9 @ 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
VALLEY TALK: The Birth and Death of a Textile Mill with Bonnie Wade Mucia
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.
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. Bonnie is actively pursuing her Accreditation with the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen), specializing in the New England Region. Originally from Woonsocket, Bonnie lives with her husband, Joseph, in South Carolina.