A private house built in 1910 was requisitioned during the Soviet era. Forced to leave their home, the owners abandoned it, and various institutions were located here over the years.

In 1925, a local history museum opened in this house, operating until 1950. In 1960, thanks to the efforts of several local historians from Onega, the museum resumed its activities, delighting the city's residents. Fifteen years later, along with historical monuments on Kiy Island, the museum became the Kiy-Onega branch of the architectural-historical and natural reserve in the Solovetsky Islands.

In 1987, the branch came under the management of the Arkhangelsk Regional Local History Museum. A year later, in honor of the centenary of Alexander Kuchin's birth, the museum was transformed and received the status of a historical-memorial museum.

The museum's exhibition is rich with photographs and personal belongings of the Kuchin family. After graduating from the city school in Onega, Alexander studied to become a navigator at the Arkhangelsk Commercial Marine School, which he graduated from in 1909 with a gold medal. He then went to Norway, where he sailed to Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen. He was fluent in Norwegian and compiled a small Russian-Norwegian dictionary. He was passionate about oceanography, studied it independently, and traveled extensively. Alexander Kuchin became the first Russian to set foot on the Antarctic mainland.

In August 1912, the mysterious death of the crew of the ship "Hercules," sailing to the Kara Sea under Captain Kuchin's command, occurred. Only in 2000 were remains found in Taymyr that likely belonged to Alexander Stepanovich.

In addition to the fascinating history of Alexander Kuchin, a polar explorer, oceanographer, and long-distance captain, the museum's exhibition includes a display dedicated to the Onega region and the daily life of its local residents.