The museum began its activities in the 1960s. For over two decades, it functioned as a city historical museum on a voluntary basis. In 1989, it received the status of a people's museum, and in 1992 it became a state museum, located in a two-story mansion previously owned by entrepreneur A. L. Starov.

In September 2011, the museum was renamed to the municipal budgetary cultural institution "Bor Local History Museum of the Bor Urban District of Nizhny Novgorod Region." Its main areas of work include the preservation of cultural and historical values, scientific research, educational, and patriotic activities.

The museum's collection contains over 16,000 items, including photo documents, numismatic items, decorative and applied arts, as well as exhibits on the history of technology, painting, and library materials. The total area of the museum is 672 sq. m, featuring 16 exhibition halls and 2 storage rooms. Currently, the museum presents 7 permanent exhibitions: "Nature of the Native Land," "The Protected KERZHENSKY Region," "History of Bor from Ancient Times," "Service to Science and the Fatherland," "Bor Residents during the Great Patriotic War," "Bor Sports," and "F. Chaliapin and M. Gorky." Temporary exhibitions, including art and decorative-applied exhibitions, are also held.