On February 1, 1996, the head of the Yoshkar-Ola administration issued a decree to establish a museum of the city's history. The museum opened after the reconstruction of the building on September 30 of the same year. Its creation involved the head of the administration, Veniamin Kozlov, his deputy L. F. Ozhiganov, the head of the culture department, Mikhail Vasyutin, as well as local historians and public figures. The first director was Lyudmila Arsenyevna Parmanova.

On May 8, 2005, in honor of the 60th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, a department of military glory was opened.

The museum has 130 m² for permanent exhibitions, 208 m² for temporary exhibitions, and 40 m² for storage. In 2014, its collections included 17,501 exhibits, including 12,356 items in the main collection. Among the most valuable collections are photographs of the city from the late 19th and early 20th centuries titled "Tsarevokokshaysk, Yoshkar-Ola" and a collection of coat of arms signs "Cities of Russia."

The permanent exhibition "Ancient Tsarevokokshaysk" tells about the prerequisites for the founding of the city on the Kokshaga River, its socio-economic development, urban planning, everyday life, traditions, and the fates of notable citizens. The modern scientific and cultural life of the city is reflected in temporary exhibitions.

The department of military glory includes two halls. The first is dedicated to the history of the Great Patriotic War in the context of the city, while the second focuses on modern military events, including the Afghan and Chechen wars.

The museum conducts tours of the halls, as well as walking and bus tours of the city, outreach lectures, and engages in scientific and cultural activities. The museum hosts the Society of Lovers of Orthodox Culture, the Club of City Experts, the Russian Folklore Association "Tsarev City," the children's studio "Teremok," and the Theatrical Living Room.

The main building of the museum is located in the Chulkov estate at 39 Voznesenskaya Street. The estate, built in 1911, is a monument of history and culture of regional significance. The two-story red brick building is adorned with patterns and metal carvings in the Art Nouveau style. In addition to the main house, the estate includes a house with a mezzanine and a wing.

In 1906, lumber industrialist Trofim Vasilyevich Chulkov acquired a plot in Tsarevokokshaysk and built two houses: a wooden one with a mezzanine in 1908 and two stone houses, a two-story and a one-story wing in 1911. The stone houses were built under the guidance of his son Nikolai Chulkov. After construction, the house housed the treasury and the county land management commission, while the second floor was occupied by the county police chief, Joseph Adamovich Kamensky.

In 1921, the Chulkov houses were nationalized and used by various institutions, including food departments, Obik and Oblplan, the State Bank, and a savings bank.

In 1996, the building was reconstructed and became home to the museum.