The museum began its work on September 12, 1986, in the building of the former three-year exemplary school named after I.N. Ulyanov. Initially, it was conceived as a museum of public education, and its collection included various feathers, as well as textbooks and notebooks from different eras. Over time, the museum expanded its focus, but all of them remain connected to the history of the region. Currently, the museum features six permanent exhibitions: an art gallery, the 'Teacher's Bedroom', the 'Room of Rural Intelligentsia', an interactive classroom, the 'Room of the Orlov-Davydov Counts', as well as exhibitions on ethnography, archaeology, and peasant life.

The museum staff is actively engaged in project work. They developed the project 'An Exciting Journey through the History of Usolye', and the project 'Salt Fair' has grown into a full-fledged festival over fourteen years. The museum also participates in various festivals and events at both regional and interregional levels.