The Matheson History Museum showcases the history of Gainesville, Alachua County and surrounding environs. The museum complex includes the main exhibit gallery, 1867 Matheson House, Tison Tool Barn, and Sweetwater Botanical Garden. 

The Matheson History Museum building is located in the former American Legion Hall, built in 1937, and houses temporary and permanent exhibits that tell the story of Alachua County from the time of the Timucuan tribes through the Spanish occupation of the area, William Bartram's travels, on through the 19th and 20th centuries. The 1867 Matheson House, the second oldest residence in Gainesville, is a blend of Classic Revival raised cottage architecture and the South Carolina plantation style. The Tison Tool Barn houses the tool collection of Gainesville native James Mason Tison, Jr. Directly behind the Museum is Sweetwater Park. In 2014 the Matheson purchased the former Melting Pot building with plans to renovate it and turn it into the museum's archive and library and a community meeting space.