The Sernur Local History Museum was founded by the decision of the Council of Deputies of Workers of the Mari ASSR at a meeting of the executive committee of the Sernur District Council, as noted in protocol No. 11 dated October 21, 1984. The purpose of creating the museum was to improve the patriotic and communist education of the youth and workers of the district. In April 1985, the museum was allocated a wooden two-story building, built in 1896 on Sovetskaya Street. Previously, this building housed pedagogical courses, a pedagogical college until 1953, and Sernur Secondary School until 1976. Until 1984, the building was under the balance of Sernur Vocational School No. 30. The management of the museum was entrusted to Galina Ivanovna Martyanova, a former education worker and local historian. Despite the lack of experience and materials, as well as the fact that there were residential apartments in the building, she took on the task. Only a storeroom and a woodshed were free. However, Galina Ivanovna had a tremendous desire to preserve memory for future generations. She collected over 500 exhibits, including ancient books, historical documents, and valuable items from famous people. Each exhibit had its own story. The official opening of the museum took place on February 26, 1986, where visitors saw an exhibition of products from local enterprises and the first exhibits. Galina Ivanovna Martyanova became the first in the village to receive the title of 'Honorary Citizen of Sernur.'

From 1990 to 1998, the Sernur Museum was a branch of the National Museum of the Mari El Republic named after T. Evseev in Yoshkar-Ola, which provided methodological assistance. In 1992, the museum was named after the Mari enlightener and writer Alexander Fedorovich Konakov, a native of the village of Kupsola in the Sernur district. Until 2011, the museum was part of the municipal cultural institution of the Sernur district of the Mari El Republic 'Department of Culture.' Since February 2011, it has been renamed the municipal budgetary cultural institution of the Sernur district 'Sernur Museum and Exhibition Complex named after Alexander Konakov' and continues its activities based on statutory documents.