There’s no need to dust off your old textbooks or turn on the History Channel. There’s another way to see and experience history, and you don’t have to go to a world- renowned museum in the city either. The Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket is a hands-on learning museum with exhibits and tours for all ages, with a one-of-a-kind understanding of the Industrial Revolution and its impact on Rhode Island.

Located in a 1915 mill, the museum is dedicated to life and work of the French-Canadians who migrated from Quebec to Woonsocket to serve as mill workers, helping Rhode Island become the most industrialized state in the early ninetieth century.

Woonsocket had its first encounter with French culture in the late eighteenth century when the Ballous and Tourtellots, French Huguenot families, settled in the area. The Ballous pioneered the textile industry in Woonsocket.

Woonsocket’s plentiful waterpower made it a desired location for industry before the time of steam powered machinery. The city soon became industrialized, with most of its factories being textile mills. The first Woonsocket textile mill was the Social Manufacturing Company formed in 1810 on a site on the Mill River. By 1842 there were 20 mills in Woonsocket. As the industry grew, so did the need for workers. The first French- Canadian families were hired from Quebec to work in the Woonsocket mills in the 1840's. Once begun, this migration continued for almost a century.

Quebec; 1874 Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com

Many of these families in Quebec were self-sufficient – in that they grew or produced everything their household would need to survive. However, as the population grew, many of the goods produced could not support succeeding generations. The family farm life style was left behind for a life based on wage labor in the mills. Overall, one third of Quebec's population eventually left Canada for mill villages in New England where they gathered in strong and very close ethnic communities. By 1900, sixty percent of Woonsocket's population was French- Canadian and Woonsocket was the “most French” city in the United States.

Not only did the growth of industry forever change Woonsocket, but also the emergence of the French-Canadian culture. In the Museum of Work and Culture, you get a first hand look at everyday life for a French-Canadian mill worker.

Visitors take a journey to the past once stepping foot in the museum. Patrons begin their tour at a Quebec farmhouse. Then travel through time and experience the everyday life of Woonsocket's working class, from the early twentieth century to the present. Not only does the museum contain a wealth of historical knowledge, the exhibits embrace the daily hardships endured by the immigrant workers. The life-like portrayals are represented in a walk through fashion with intriguing sights and sounds, but never losing touch with its historical value.

The museum is operated by the Rhode Island Historical Society. Once inside, you’ll find six displays, two movies, numerous interactive audio presentations and countless photographs. Many presentations and displays are focused around the idea of the changing lifestyle for the French-Canadians. The transformation the immigrants went through not only changed their way of life in the workplace, but also in their daily life and culture. However, at the same time strongly trying to maintain their faith, language and customs. This idea of change is portrayed in many of the exhibits. The major exhibits are meant to put visitors back in time to when the most important and crucial changes were taking place in Woonsocket. The displays are chronological, which makes for a better and complete understanding of this revolutionary time in history.

Among these displays you’ll see the Quebec Farm House, which accurately describes rural life in Quebec in 1870’ s. Moving along you’ll come to the film Living and Working to New Rhythms. This film is about the drastic change from working on a family farm to wage labor. Traveling to 1920 you’ ll stop at the Textile Mill Shop Floor where mill workers will share their stories about working in a mill and the life it leads. Another exhibit is the Front Porch of a Triple Decker. Here you’ll hear stories from residents about living in Woonsocket circa 1929. Also, you can hear stories from inside in a recreated living room called the Triple Decker Parlor. You can also peek inside the Parochial School Classroom and listen in on a classroom discussion.

The other film available is Strength in Unity. It is about the rise of the Industrial Trade Union that was at one time the most powerful trade union in New England.

Manning, Ruane Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com

These exhibits are open year-round, while some special exhibits feature topics that are open for shorter period of time. One featured exhibit was entitled “Come out and Play! 200 Years of Toys and Games.” This exhibit is about toys of the past and present. It focuses on the link between the changes in toys throughout the years with the perception of childhood through the years. Also, this presentation shows how ideas about toys were created as new materials were discovered. The exhibit features toys from the RIHS’s collection. The earliest piece is a gold and pink coral rattle brought to Rhode Island Huguenot refugee Gabriel Bernon in 1696, which was used by his children. Other early pieces include an 1819 “Bisected Map of Rhode Island” puzzle that is much like today’s puzzle maps of the United States. A doll made by Izannah Walker of Central Falls around 1875 made of pressed-cloth and stuffed fabric is featured, as well as action toys and games that reflect generations of change. The “No. 11 Discooter” used in East Providence in the 1920’s reflects a generation of change simply by the materials used to make it. Before the Civil War, scooters were wooden and often homemade. Later, as manufacturing increased, steel-strengthened running boards and rubber coated wheels made scooters faster and more fun. Today’ s aluminum Razor scooters with rubber or plastic wheels are a streamlined improvement on a toy that is over 125 years old.

Whether you’re young or old, everyone can learn something at the Museum of Work and Culture. This museum appeals to all generations. The facility is open to group tours, class trips or even just a curious passerby. So put away your history book and let go of the remote, a monumental part of history is our own backyard.

The Museum of Work and Culture is located at 42 South Main St, Woonsocket, RI 02895. For information by phone, call 401-769- WORK. The museum is open Mon-Fri 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. On Saturday, open from 10 a.m. - 5p.m., and on Sunday the museum is open from 1 – 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and free for children under 10 with an adult, and free for Rhode Island Historical Society Members.

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