The house with a thatched roof, where the future artist spent his childhood, is located on Marshak Street in Ostrogozhsk. It was built in the 1830s by the painter's father, Nikolai Matveevich.

The residents of Ostrogozhsk have long been interested in the fate of Kramskoy's house and dreamed of opening a museum there. In 1974, the building was granted the status of a cultural monument and was placed under state protection. Restoration began in 1984, preserving the dimensions and layout of the rooms, as well as restoring planning details.

In 1987, on the 150th anniversary of Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoy's birth, the House Museum opened its doors to visitors.

Today, the house recreates the atmosphere of the era in which the talented boy lived many years ago.

The main exhibit preserved from the Kramskoy family is a two-kopek coin found under one of the ceiling beams during restoration. Nikolai Matveevich Kramskoy placed this coin under the main mat of the house to ensure his family lived happily and prosperously.

The primary visitors to the House Museum are schoolchildren who come here with their teachers for interactive tours and events. The museum staff teaches them to love, respect, and remember Russian traditions and customs.