The museum is a fascinating treasure house of history telling the story of the land and people of Dumfries and Galloway. It includes a visitor information desk and a shop with unusual and nostalgic toys, gifts and books on local history. The Camera Obscura, installed in 1836, is on the top floor of the old windmill tower. From it you can see a fascinating panoramic view of Dumfries and the surrounding countryside. Entry to the museum is free.

Enquiries at the museum solicit very little information about their surviving Crimean Cannon. It once stood in a more prominent position in the town but now lies almost forgotten in the bushes and trees that surround the museum site. In 2017 a number of cannon balls were removed from the site and are now lost. In spite of this the cannon survives albeit like our picture, shrouded in mystery and lacking any widespread focus of local interest, but nevertheless still a valuable memorial to the Crimean War.