沙巴博物館正式成立於一九六五年七月十五日。博物館的建立主要基於沙巴學會的努力。事實上，著名的伍利館藏是早期博物館的基本館藏，全來自於卒於一九四七年的沙巴學會指定執行主管伍利先生。該博物館的遠景是成為一個獨一無二又有活力的文化遺產。而博物館的使命是為了展示其特殊的文化遺產並保留給後世子孫。

The Sabah Museum was officially opened in July 15, 1965. The establishment of the Museum was to a large extent due to the efforts of the Sabah Society. In fact, the famous Woolley Collection, which formed the foundation collection of the incipient museum, belonged to Mr. G.C. Woolley, the executive officer designate of the proposed society (died in 1947). The vision of the museum is “A Unique and Vibrant Heritage.” The mission of the museum is “Displaying Our Unique Heritage and Preserve It for the Future Generations.”