Both the tree-harvesting and the sulfuric acid pollution left more than 32,000 acres (50 sq mi)—(13,000 hectares (130 km2)— of the basin eroded and virtually devoid of life, though the area has begun to recover after decades of re-greening efforts.

While most Cherokees in the area were forced out as part of the Indian Removal of 1838, some managed to avoid detection and would later aide in road construction and mining operations.

The company's open roast smelting method released large amounts of sulfur dioxide into the air, killing off all vegetation in the central basin.

In 1978, the museum was established by a group of local citizens intent on preserving the heritage of the mining activities in the basin.

[9] The museum's establishment and assembly was due in large part to the basin's residents, many of whom remain fiercely loyal to the mining industry.

Various machine parts, tools, and other artifacts used in the basin's mining operations are displayed on the museum's grounds.

The museum is located in a building that formerly served as the headquarters of the Tennessee Copper Company, one of the major entities that operated mines in the basin.

The museum also includes an exhibit about the environmental problems that resulted from the mining activities in the basin, and the subsequent cleanup and restoration efforts.