[1] The Pawtucket Congregational Church leased its Pitcher-Goff House to the museum, and the building was renovated with exhibits, play spaces, and activities for children and opened in 1977.

[1] Due to increasing attendance, in the 1980s, the museum sought out a larger site as its building could only hold 100 people at once and had 3,000 square feet (280 m2) of exhibit space.

Originally created for an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the sculpture was donated to the PCM in 1997 and given its name by an 11-year-old boy through a contest.

[7][8] During the George W. Bush administration, in 2003, AmeriCorps funding for various local organizations including the museum was reduced or eliminated, while a new initiative by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence was financed.

[11] Upon reopening in late 2021, the museum reported that attendance had greatly reduced, noting as an inhibiting factor that children younger than 12 years old could not yet receive COVID-19 vaccinations.