Gargoyles from Monk Bretton Priory, carousel horses from the market roundabout and a bronze bust of Dickie Bird have all been unearthed for the opening of the Experience Barnsley museum on Thursday.
As finishing touches are made to the £4.3m project, on Thursday cabinets were still being filled and explanatory plaques being put up.
John Tanner, project manager, said: "It's been very busy - we've got the final items coming in from different parts of the country."
Featured on one wall are 858-year-old gargoyles from Monk Bretton Priory. There are also carousel horses from the roundabout in Barnsley Market, which have been loaned by Stewart Robinson, 61, whose family has run Robinson's Family Funfairs for many years.
He said: "My father James bought the roundabout in 1959 when I was seven. Before that, a company called Slaters had had owned it so it's getting on for being 100-years-old."
Former test umpire Dickie Bird has loaned a bronze bust of himself and the ball used in the 1975 cricket world cup final between Australia and the West Indies in which he was the umpire.
Vice-chairman of the steering group, Mel Dyke, said eight years of hard work had gone into opening the museum and it was incredible to see it come to fruition.
Thousands of visitors are expected to pack the town hall square on Thursday to cut a giant red ribbon which will swathe the town hall.
There will be a children's carousel, musical entertainment and attractions including an animatronic dinosaur to a giant stilt-walking sportsman.
Barnsley-born DJ Simon Hirst will lead the countdown to the 2pm opening.
