Before the construction of the Mineral Resources Building (MRB) in 1991 these lamps were displayed in cases located in White Hall on the downtown campus of West Virginia University.

[2] In 2005, the museum was endowed by gifts from the WVCMI, the Watts family, and alumni and friends of West Virginia University Mineral Resources.

In 2012, the museum was awarded a grant from The West Virginia Humanities Council to support a coal mining educational outreach program for senior citizens in the area.

“The purpose of the museum is to preserve and promote the social, cultural and technological history of the coal, oil and gas industries of the State of West Virginia through the collection, preservation, research, and exhibition of tangible objects relevant to these industries.”[5] The Watts Museum's collection numbers in the thousands, relating to a variety of eras of the coal and petroleum industries.

[5] Other items include, but are not limited to:[6] The majority of the Watts Museum's collections have been donated by mining and petroleum companies and alumni of the college.