The Museum is the official home of the Joseph W. Hardin photography collection. Hardin was the official photographer for Governor "Alfalfa Bill" Murray and for the Frisco Railroad, was invited to presidential innaugurations for over 40 years, and even worked on the Panama Canal.

In addition to the Hardin Collection, the Museum houses sixteen-time World Champion Cowboy and inventor of the mechanical bull Jim Shoulders' 1955 championship saddle and other memorabilia. Coal mining, oil drilling and other local historical artifacts give the museum a unique quality not found in larger museums.

The Hardin collection is being digitized for computer research.