The Robert S. Kerr Museum sits on a hill south of Poteau in the former home of the late senator and Oklahoma governor — a sprawling stone-and-timber house with views across the valley. The collection ranges across the history of the Poteau River Valley, from Spiro Mound replicas and Choctaw artifacts to early 20th-century farm tools and Kerr family memorabilia.
The museum's most quoted exhibit is its collection of over 300 different types of barbed wire, mounted on boards and labelled by manufacturer and patent year. It is improbable, oddly compelling, and exactly the kind of thing small American local museums do well. Free admission; closed Sundays and Mondays.