The building is designed as a small museum, showcasing photographs and artifacts of Silent Hill's past. Many photos hang on the walls of the museum, some of which show landmarks of the once-famous town. Some pieces also refer to the dark practices that have taken place within Silent Hill.
Much of the building is in shambles during James's visit; display cases are shattered, doors pulled from their hinges and a wall broken down. Some of the museum's pictures have also been touched by the effects of the Otherworld, as they depict horrific scenes and disturbing figures.
In one of the museum's walls is a gaping hole, revealing a long tunnel to travel through. As James travels down to the bottom levels of the museum, he will begin to hear a boat horn in the background, possibly alluding to the sinking of the Little Baroness. After reaching the end of the tunnel and jumping into various mysterious holes, James will find himself in the abandoned prison, which the Historical Society was seemingly built on top of, or converted into.
In his journey beneath the Historical Society, James encounters numerous deep holes which he must jump into, descending into the unknown. Following the perplexing Labyrinth and the fight with Eddie Dombrowski, James inexplicably appears at surface level, on the bank of Toluca Lake, despite all the holes and passageways he has passed.
A placeholder texture of Lake Tahoe's South Shore can be found on the wall inside of the building.
In the back room with the show case containing the Obsidian Goblet, a painting of the first hole James jumps down in Toluca Prison can be seen.
Misty day, remains of the Judgment.
When James visited the Historical Society three years prior to Silent Hill 2, the paintings of the executioners in the museum left an impression on his subconscious. The visage in the paintings would later align with his feelings of guilt, inspiring Pyramid Head's physical appearance.[2][3]
Takayoshi Sato explains why the executioners in certain paintings, such as "Misty day, remains of the judgment", are abstracted: "The place Silent Hill is used to be the place of execution, away from cities. Heinous criminals are transferred to that place and get executed. Thus all village people are executioners or family of executioners. Executioners needed to wear a mask at the event so they do not directly witness their spear when it was piercing flesh. Time have past, only memory of execution lingered." He refers to Pyramid Head as a "distorted memory" of the executioners.[4]
When asked if the existence of the paintings meant that Pyramid Head can manifest to other characters, Masahiro Ito's response was "Would the "other people" kill his wife too?"[5]
The executioner painting in Silent Hill: The Arcade.
In Silent Hill: The Arcade, a similar painting appears in place of "Misty day, remains of the Judgment", suggesting the possibility that the Otherworld can change its appearance in different ways.
The Lost Memories: Silent Hill Chronicle mentions "a picture of what seems to be an assembly of the development staff is on display in the Historical Society's exhibition room."
In the Silent Hill 2 novel, the museum doesn't have a long tunnel between the museum room with the pictures and the hole to Toluca Prison.
![3D scene reference for Misty Day picture. [1]](/wiki/File:MistDay001.jpg "MistDay001.jpg (94 KB)")
![3D scene that was used as a reference for Misty Day picture. [2]](/wiki/File:MistDay002.jpg "MistDay002.jpg (54 KB)")
