SCM is located in a 174-acre town park that was the 19th-century estate of Rhode Island's Civil War-era governor and post-war senator, William Sprague. The museum, founded in 1933, promotes understanding of rural village life in coastal South County before the emergence of suburban communities.

Among attractions are the 19th-century General Store, a 19th-century kitchen, the marine gallery, a working print shop, a working blacksmith shop, exhibits on carpentry, textile arts, 19th- and early 20th-century vehicles and the Living Farm Exhibit.