Barnai Worsted ceased operations in Woonsocket in 1968 and relocated production to South Carolina. That year, the site was purchased by Lincoln Textile Corporation for $50,000. The company used the building for its dyeing processes. Operations became unprofitable, due in part to more strictly enforced environmental laws, and production stopped at the end of 1990.
Interest in a museum documenting the city’s history began in 1988, during the City’s Centennial celebrations. In 1992, the City of Woonsocket and the Rhode Island Historical Society joined forces and began soliciting funding for the project. Barnai Worsted was identified as the site for the Museum after difficulties arose with the first property that was considered, the adjacent Falls Yarn Mill. Rehabilitation of the Barnai Worsted began in 1996 and the Museum of Work & Culture opened on the site in October 1997.
<i>Images courtesy of the Rhode Island Historical Society</i>
Images courtesy of the Rhode Island Historical Society
