Opened in 1927, the museum’s artifacts range in date from Westfield’s colonial settlement in the 1600s up into the early 1900s. Founded in 1928, the museum was named after Edwin Smith, a former Westfield Athenaeum director, whose son provided the funds to create the museum space. The museum is housed near the entrance of the library up a flight of stairs. The purpose of the museum is to celebrate Westfield’s extensive and intriguing history, and display a wide variety of topics and people.