The focus of the museum is primarily on the regional history of Franklin County, and the importance of trains to the development of small towns.

The marker stands 9.8 feet (3.0 meters) high, the highest that the water of Marais des Cygnes river reached during the flood.

[9][13] The Old Depot Museum has historic room recreations that show what building interiors may have looked like in the Victorian era.

This includes a parlor, a general store, a soda fountain, a dentist's office, and a one room school house.

[1][3][14] The soda fountain display room is based on the Bennett Creamery, which was once a commercial shop in downtown Ottawa, Kansas.

[13][18] This exhibit was created by Traub Design associates in 2007, and its creation was made possible through a grant from the Kansas Humanities Council.

The caboose was dedicated on Sunday, April 28, of 2013 in conjunction with an event that focused specifically on the history of Kansas railroad workers.

[20] The museum has considered adding a rail car to their outdoor exhibit as well, but are worried that it will be vandalized or damaged.

[21] "Crossings: Getting Over, Around, and Through Water in Franklin County" is a temporary exhibit at the museum that opened on June 4, 2017, and will run through August 20, 2017.

[25][22] The exhibit is part of a larger initiative to focus on the relationship between people and water, and was supported by a grant from the Kansas Humanities Council to achieve that goal.