[2][3][4] The museum was the brainchild of William Hayden, a philanthropist and art aficionado from the area, and is staffed by volunteers.

[1] The museum includes numerous historical artifacts, including a postcard display with over 200 postcards,[1][2] a shoe collection, and entire rooms dedicated to the county's African American heritage and military history as well as life in Paris before it was devastated by a major fire in 1916.

[5] Its collections cover both the distant and the more recent past, spanning from the Biard Cabin, which was built in 1846,[2] and reconstructions of a pioneer kitchen and a blacksmith shop to a Sonic Drive-In menu and a neon sign from Staples Jewelry.

[2][3] Other artifacts showcased by the Lamar County Historical Museum include early 20th century furniture, antique washing machines, a loom, and various tools.

[1][2] The museum also displays implements used for cotton and hay farming, relics from the Buckner Orphanage, which was demolished in 2000,[1][2] the Judge Jim Noble Thompson Portico facade,[2][4] an iron lung, and a gallery documenting Lamar County's smaller communities.