[2] The museum contains a store which has a gallery showcasing arts and crafts of the region and of the South.

[3] A committee was created on March 9, 1992 to study the feasibility of establishing a museum which would be "an organized and permanent non-profit institution, essentially educational or aesthetic in purpose, with professional staff, which owns and utilizes tangible objects, cares for them and exhibits them to the public on some regular schedule.

"[3][4] Their mission statement was "to preserve and interpret the history and culture of the Ocoee District of Southeast Tennessee by highlighting the adventures of its people.

[3] The museum center was chosen as the 2011 recipient of the MainStreet Cleveland award.

[5] The new mission statement of "telling the story of the Ocoee Region" was adopted on June 18, 2013.