The museum is managed by the Saint Helena Heritage Society. It is housed in a late-18th-century stone building, formerly the old power station, at the foot of the hillside stairway, Jacob’s Ladder, in lower Jamestown. It was officially opened on 21 May 2002, the quincentennial anniversary of the island’s discovery, by the Governor, David Hollamby.
The museum is one of two on the island, the other being Longwood House.