Rhode Island's Mill Villages: Simmonsville, Pocasset, Olneyville, and Thornton (Images of America)

By: Joe Fuoco

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Synopsis: Rhode Island's Mill Villages is a fascinating visualhistory of the development and evolution of over 150 years of life in Simmonsville, Pocasset, Olneyville, and Thornton. Some 200 rare and historic photographs are coupled with detailed and informative captions that immerse the reader in the daily lives and environments of these communities. In the years surrounding the Civil War, European immigrants and textile workers came to Rhode Island to work in the state's mills. Soon, villages and neighborhoods formed around these mills, creating unique and closely knit communities in which the wealthy families who owned and operated the mills lived side by side with those who labored for them. The photographs presented here offer a glimpse at the development of these familial communities that are such an integral part in the history of both RhodeIsland and the United States.