This year again, all Valley Talks will be presented in a hybrid format, meaning guests have the option to attend the presentation in person at the Museum or virtually through Zoom. In checkout, make sure to select the correct ticketing option that reflects how you would like to attend the presentation.
The Museum of Work & Culture, a Rhode Island Historical Society Museum, will host its annual Valley Talks series featuring six free lectures celebrating the Blackstone Valley’s history, continuing Sunday, February 22, at 1:30 pm.
How did a native Rhode Island merchant, ironmaster, fervent patriot, and devout Quaker rise in prominence from a lowly private to a general in the Continental Army? Paul Bourget, as General George Sears Greene, will discuss the life and times of his second cousin, Nathanael Greene, and how he became George Washington’s best and most reliable general in the War of Independence.
The Museum’s 2026 Valley Talks series is presented by the Museum of Work & Culture Preservation Foundation and the RI AFL-CIO.
Guests are encouraged to register here.
2026 Valley Talks Schedule:
Sunday, January 11, 1:30 pm – Looking Back 50 Years: 1976 and the Bicentennial Celebration in Woonsocket
Sunday, January 25, 1:30 p.m. – Remembering Through Resilience and Grief with Vimala Phongsavanh
Sunday, February 8, 1:30 p.m. – Moving Images: The Bicentennial in Motion with Dr. Morgan Grefe
Sunday, February 22, 1:30 p.m. – Nathanael Greene – Forgotten Hero of the American Revolution with Paul Bourget
Sunday, March 8, 1:30 p.m. – Rewoven: The Rise, Fall, and Future of American
Textiles with artist Deborah Baronas
Sunday, March 22, 1:30 p.m. – Disparate Regimes of Citizenship Rights and Rhode Island History with author Brendan Shanahan