[1][2] The museum consists of three buildings: Beech Grove, a 19th-century Italianate mansion, the former Portland Bridge Baptist Mission Building, connected at Beech Grove's north side, and the AHOY House, a renovated Victorian property adjacent to the museum.

The museum was originally founded by seven teachers from the old Roosevelt Elementary School with an initial grant the National Endowment for the Humanities.

[2] In 2014, the museum opened a permanent collection consisting of memorabilia donated by former football star Paul Hornung .

[2] As part of a recent revitalization effort in the Portland neighborhood, the museum acquired an adjacent Victorian home in 2020 and has since begun developing it into an immersive space and play area for children called AHOY.

[6][7] Danny Seim of the indie rock group Menomena was appointed as a co-director of the museum in 2019 and is now the executive director of the AHOY project.