The hall's 37 cases contained items as various as a studded shoe buckle owned by James Iredell to the death mask of Confederate General Robert Hoke.

[2] On June 16, 1988, the State of North Carolina broke ground at 5 East Edenton Street to begin construction of a new, dedicated building for the museum.

[5] Authorized by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1953, THJHA is a network of free clubs across the state, with members in grades 4–12 and at least one adult adviser.

Clubs may be sponsored by public, private, or home schools, or by other organizations such as museums and historical societies, 4-H and FFA groups, or scouting programs.

THJHA staff at the museum provide support and resources that include a semiannual student magazine Tar Heel Junior Historian.

The hall of fame was originally established in February 1963, with support from the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, "celebrates excellence and extraordinary achievement in athletics [and] commemorates and memorializes exceptional accomplishments in or connected with the world of sports who have brought recognition and esteem to themselves and to the State of North Carolina.

As state government funds have been reduced over recent years, the importance of member support has grown—in fact, membership revenue is now central to the museum's effort to maintain free programming.