Located within Matchimawat Temple, or locally known as Wat Klang, in Bo Yang Subdistrict, Mueang District, Songkhla Province, the museum was initiated by, Phra Ratchasinsangwon, a former deputy of the abbot of Matchimawat Temple, who had a keen interest in  archaeology in the lower part of southern Thailand. The venerable monk had collected archeological finds and art pieces found in Sathing Phra District and nearby areas, as well as those donated to the temple before the blast of World War II. All artifacts were displayed at the wooden building behind the Hermit Exercise Building that later transformed into a library and museum of Matchimawat Temple. As Songkhla’s first national museum, Matchimawat National Museum was open to the general public for the first time on 21 May 1940 on which the Visaka Buja festival was held. In 1953, the venerable monk had led the renovation of the sermon hall building into new museum building as the original one deteriorated. The museum was later promoted as a National Museum, according to the Act on Ancient Monuments, Antiques, Objects of Art, and National Museums, B.E. 2504 (1961 A.D.), which officially named the museum as “Matchimawat National Museum”.