The National Museum was founded on 20 July 1877 during a public meeting in Bloemfontein’s City Hall. Two preceding events facilitated the establishment of a museum: the so-called Philadelphia Exhibition and the availability of a building.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, an international exhibition was held in 1876 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
The President of the Free State Republic, J.H. Brand, saw this as a great opportunity to introduce the Free State to the world by taking part in this first world fair. Several items were acquired specifically for the Philadelphia Exhibition, including ostrich feathers, ivory, unpolished diamonds and animal hides.
A year after the Exhibition, the government of the Free State Republic was requested to make the government building in St George Street (now the First Raadsaal Museum) available as a museum and to donate the objects that were exhibited in America to the museum. Most of the objects had however already been sold in America, but the government nevertheless agreed to make the building available and supported the establishment of a museum.
At the founding meeting a committee was elected, with Dr Hugh Exton appointed as the first Honorary Curator. In an open letter to the public, he requested “to collect together all that we can”. The natural as well as cultural identity of the Museum expanded as a result of the diverse array of objects donated by the public.
The Museum was officially opened on 20 May 1878. At the time, fundraising was the responsibility of the committee, but a small subsidy was also received from the government. From 1881 until 1899, when the Anglo-Boer War broke out, the National Museum was supported by the Free State Government. The first employee, W. Corbitt, was appointed as a Caretaker in 1884. After the resignation of Exton in 1888, Dr B.O. Kellner was appointed as Honorary Curator, a position he held until his death in 1918. Kellner was the first qualified doctor in Bloemfontein and was Mayor of the city for nine years.
The building soon became too small for the various exhibits and an extension, added to the western side of the Raadsaal, was occupied in January 1887. Another section, added to the eastern side of the Raadsaal, was completed in October 1891.
The National Museum celebrated its 144th birthday on 20 July 2021!
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