Built in 1924 as a home for Polson Logging Co. heir Arnold Polson, the museum is one of Hoquiam's finest surviving riverfront mansions. This National Register property, designed in the colonial revival style features a grand entry-way staircase, four fireplaces, and a full-length 40-foot clear hemlock flooring. Photographs taken when the museum served as the Polson family residence capture the grandeur of the time.
Of the museum's 26 rooms, 15 are open to the public with entertaining and educational displays, notably an extensive collection of Native Americian artifacts and basketry. Permanent exhibits on the region's rich industrial history await those eager to immerse themselves in the gritty world of Harbor sawmills and deep-woods logging camps. In contrast, the domestic realm of Harbor life in a privilaged household is also depicted. Highlights include a working kitchen and dressing room displays of past fashion trends.
The museum grounds, situated on over two acres of parkland, offer picnic areas, the Burton C. Ross Memorial Rose Garden, and a scenic hillside trail. Notably, the museum's new Railroad Camp brings Grays Harbor's extensive logging and sawmilling history alive in over 3800 square feet of dramatic exhibition space modeled after original Polson Logging Company structures.