The museum was created by CNMI Public Law 10-5, which was enacted in 1996. It was first opened to the public on November 4, 1998. In 1999, the works of artist Chen Xiao Ping were exhibited. In September 1999, the museum showed a traveling exhibit about the
Chamorro migrants of
Yap. The exhibit included photographs, oral or written testimonies, maps, letters, excerpts from a diary, and copies of church records from Saint Mary's Parish in
Colonia, Yap. In the summer of 1999, the government of
Germany turned over CNMI replicas and photocopies of maps, stamps, documents, photos, and postcards reflecting the colonization period. In November 1999, the museum opened an exhibition about the German period in the islands titled "Tiempon Aleman: German Rule of the Northern Marianas 1899-1914." In 2000, the museum worked with the Japanese Society of the Northern Mariana Islands and other organizations, as well as with translator Noriyasu Horiguchi, to showcase an exhibition about the Japanese period in the islands. Displayed objects included photographs, film clips, artifacts, maps, post cards, stamps, models, reproductions, and oral histories. The Sugar King Foundation provided several artifacts, including a Nan'yō Kōhatsu kabushiki gaisha "Happi Coat" given to company employees in recognition for their years of service. Replicas of the Ota Confectionery storefront which used to be on Garapan, the Kristo Rai bell tower, and the Hachiman Jinja tonii were created. In spring and summer 2004, the museum presented personal histories and oral testimonies of
Chamorros and
Carolinians during the
Asia–Pacific War. The museum also displayed items and images of the
Navajo Code Talkers and
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and crafts made by civilians in Camp Susupe. That same year, it showed the exhibition "The Japanese Administration in the Northern Mariana Islands: The Birth of the Industrial Period 1914—1941." Objects and photographs associated with the sugar industry and
South Seas Development Company (Nan'yō Kōhatsu kabushiki gaisha), including an original scrapbook donated to the museum by Director Haruji Matsue's son and grandson, were displayed. In June 2004, the crew of the
Enola Gay, including
Paul Tibbets,
Morris Jeppson, and
Theodore Van Kirk, visited the museum and donated objects to it. In January 2005, Takahisa Aoyagi and Takao Fukushima donated Japanese Period items related to the Nanyoji Temple and the Saipan Girls' High School to the museum. That same month, the museum held the exhibition "The Influence of Catholicism in the Marianas." Displayed items included candle holders, altar lamps, bells, basins, old books and illustrations, and an early twentieth century chair made of narra wood carved and upholstered in crimson velvet. In spring 2005, it showed the exhibition "Castaways on
Anatahan: the Last Surrender. 1944 to 1951." In May 2005, a museum representative found a prehistoric Chamorro gorge fish hook in
Chalan Kanoa during an archaeological excavation. In May 2005,
San Vicente Elementary School students visited the museum. In July 2005, the mayor of
Aizuwakamatsu,
Fukushima Prefecture,
Japan and film crew creating a documentary about
Haruji Matsue toured the museum. In December 2005, students in a research group from
Tsuru University in
Yamanashi Prefecture,
Japan visited the museum. In February 2006, the museum's exhibit curator held a presentation on prehistoric Chamorro culture at
San Vicente Elementary School. In November 2006, the museum sponsored the visit of the
Shanghai Media Group and
Shanghai Morning Post. In May 2009, the Marianas March Against Cancer's Team held a fundraising lunch at the museum. In May 2012, the Micronesian Repatriation Association (MRA) of Okinawa contributed a collection of photographs from the Japanese period to the museum. In May 2014, the MRA placed a monument on the museum grounds. In June 2014, the CNMI Arts Council's "Art in the Park" event was held on the museum grounds. In September 2015, volunteers helped cleanup debris after
Typhoon Soudelor hit this island. In November 2015, the museum sent a representative to an archaeological dig in Garapan where human remains and a ceramic bowl were uncovered. In the winter of 2017, the grandson of
Haruji Matsue donated oil paintings that depict pre-war images of Saipan to the museum. In January 2016, the CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality worked with the museum to build a
rain garden on the grounds. The rain garden catches pollutants and sediment that might otherwise end up in the ocean. In 2016, the museum displayed historic handkerchiefs with Japanese illustrations from the 1940s. In February 2017, contestants in the
Miss Pusong Pinoy pageant visited the museum. In July 2017, the museum participated in the annual Liberation Day Festival. In December 2017, the museum hosted guests from the
Keio Corporation,
Shizuoka Railway,
Tobu Railway,
JTB Corporation, and other Japanese companies. In January 2018, the museum gave demonstrations at the Marianas Tourism Education Council Tourism Summit at Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan to share Marianas culture and help students learn about responsible and
sustainable tourism projects. In the summer of 2019, the museum had an exhibition, financed by the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, of archival photographs of civilians and combatants for the 75th Anniversaries of the
Battle of Saipan and
Battle of Tinian during the
Asia–Pacific War. In July 2019, the museum was a sponsor of the Liberation Day festivities and took part in the parade with a carnival-ride train and gave children rides. That same month, the museum held a field trip for the Summer Reading Program of the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library Branch,
State Library of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In December 2019, museum staff completed the Marianas Visitors Authority tour guide certification program. In early January 2020,
Saipan International School students and exchange students from Korea visited the museum. In mid-January 2020, the descendants of
Admiral George Anson visited the museum. In late-January 2020, the museum participated in the Marianas Tourism Education Council Tourism Summit for the
CNMI Public School System. Current collections include Micronesian slings and projectiles, Spanish galleon treasure, Catholic relics, war memorabilia, and more. The museum preserves items donated to it by the families of American and Japanese veterans and Japanese, Okinawan, Korean, Chamorro, and Carolinian people who lived in the islands before and during the
Pacific War. In the 2020s, the museum plans to construct temporary huts to provide a venue for local artists to teach, display, and sell local products to guests. The CNMI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, CNMI Arts Council, Indigenous Affairs Office, and the Chamorro Indigenous Affairs, and Carolinian Affairs Offices have expressed support. ==Buildings==