The mission of the Muskegon County Museum is to preserve and interpret the natural and cultural history of Muskegon County.

The Museum Collections department maintains a large three-dimensional collection. The collection contains logging and lumbering tools and equipment, items from local industries and businesses, maritime objects, fire fighting tools and equipment, Native American artifacts, household items, toys and games, clothing and other personal items, textiles and artwork. The Museum maintains a Natural Science collection containing animals, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, shells, rocks and minerals.

The Museum also maintains collections related to the Hackley & Hume Historic Site. It includes architectural fragments, pieces originally owned by the Hackley and Hume families, and objects that help demonstrate how the families lived and worked in Muskegon County.

To support our mission, the museum also has a Special Collections and Archives department that maintains a reference and a two-dimensional collection containing items such as programs, broadsheets, diaries, organization and company records, dance cards, and ships logs. The Archives also maintains a large photography, negative and postcard collection, with over 10,000 images, detailing the people, places and events of Muskegon County. The collections staff is available to help residents of Muskegon County with historical research and the identification of historical artifacts.

Together, the two and three-dimensional collections of The Muskegon County Museum contain over 70,000 objects.

For more information about using the resources of the Muskegon County Museum for research, please go to our research page.