The Tokmok Historical and Local Lore Museum is located in an old beautiful building situated in the city of Tokmok, at 29 Lenin Street. The museum was established in 1966-1967 when, on a voluntary basis, the Museum of Combat and Labor Glory of the Kirov Factory and the Historical and Local Lore Museum at the City Station of Young Naturalists were opened.
The Tokmok Historical and Local Lore Museum houses unique book collections, including the first examples of literary writing of Kyrgyzstan on stone monuments such as "Kutadgu Bilig" by Yusuf Balasagyn and "Davana Luga Tat-Turk" by Mahmud Kashgari. The museum's exhibition tells about the history and culture of the region, crafts, and outstanding people who were born in Tokmok. There is a separate exhibition dedicated to the residents of Tokmok who participated in the Great Patriotic War.
The current building of the Tokmok Local Lore Museum, allocated to it later, was built in 1900 by merchant Gorobtsov. It is a local historical monument and is part of the architectural ensemble of the old city.
The prehistory of the Tokmok City Local Lore Museum begins with the opening of the Museum of Combat and Labor Glory of the Kirov Factory in 1966. In the following year, 1967, the Historical and Local Lore Museum was opened at the City Station of Young Naturalists at 49 Shevchenko Street, Tokmok. The museum operated on a voluntary basis. Its head was teacher Leonid Isaakovich Alexandrovich. The museum was located in a small hall of the Young Naturalists' Station. When in 1978 the Tokmok District Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union moved to a new four-story building, the Tokmok City Party Committee recommended that the city executive committee transfer the old building of the district committee to the city department of culture for the organization of the city local lore museum. The building of the Tokmok Local Lore Museum is classified as a local historical monument, is part of the unified architectural ensemble of the old city, and represents historical and architectural value for the city. Currently, only fourteen buildings from the old city have survived. The museum building was constructed in 1900 by merchant Gorobtsov for a four-grade school with vocational training. Such a type of school was quite rare at that time. Gorobtsov was buried in the cemetery near the stadium in 1908. To this day, only the gravestone remains on the disturbed and desecrated burial site. On the left side of the first floor lived the school director. On the right side of the first floor was a jewelry store. The second floor housed four classrooms of the school. In the yard, a one-story building for student workshops was constructed. In the middle of the yard, there was a fountain with floating swans. After the revolution, the jewelry store was closed, and a pharmacy was opened in its place. The school existed until 1928, when students were transferred to the newly opened School No. 1. Today, this building houses workshops of the mechanical technical school. During the war, the museum building was destroyed. In 1950, its restoration began for the district party committee. From 1952, the district committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the district committee of the Komsomol, and party state control were located here.
After the completion of the construction of the new building of the district committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1978, by the decision of the executive committee of the Tokmok City Council of People's Deputies No. 142 dated May 11, 1978, "On the Organization of the City Local Lore Museum," the two-story building of the former district party committee at 29 Revolution Street was transferred to the city department of culture for the organization of the city local lore museum. The city department of culture was tasked with preparing estimates and carrying out repairs to the premises, developing an exhibition plan for the local lore museum, and organizing work with enterprises and the public of the city to create stands, models, and exhibitions that have historical value for the city. Initially, the museum operated on a voluntary basis. Workers from the city house of culture and other organizations were sent to work there. The responsibilities of the directors of the city local lore museum were carried out on a voluntary basis by museum and monument methodologists: L.I. Zhuchenko and A.D. Linchuk. Significant assistance in creating the museum was provided by the second secretary of the city committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, A.I. Lisovsky. He headed the city headquarters for the repair and decoration of the museum. The museum was created using the method of folk construction. The museum received substantial help in repairing and decorating the exhibition from the administrations, party committees, trade unions, and teams from the Kirov Factory, the forging and stamping plant, "Progress," the canning factory, ATP-12308, ATP-12069, the city household combine, the sewing factory, the city house of culture, the dairy and canning combine, the furniture combine, SU "Gorstroi," SU-5, RCU-1, and the public of the city.
In 1981, the Tokmok Local Lore Museum was reorganized on a voluntary basis into a department of the Melitopol Local Lore Museum, according to a letter from the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR dated May 5, 1981, No. 226573 "On the Approval of the Department of the Melitopol Local Lore Museum in the City of Tokmok."
On the 40th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, on May 8, 1985, the exhibition of the Tokmok Local Lore Museum was solemnly opened. The museum's exhibition was located in 14 halls covering an area of 525 square meters and consisted of 8 sections.
Based on the petition of the Tokmok executive committee of the city council, the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR No. 204 dated July 31, 1989, "On the Creation of Local Lore Museums in the Cities: Tokmok in Zaporozhye and Lozovaya in Kharkov Region," the letter from the Ministry of Culture of the Ukrainian SSR dated August 15, 1989, No. 12-707, and the order of the Department of Culture of the Zaporozhye Regional Council of People's Deputies No. 184 dated November 4, 1989, "On the Creation of a Local Lore Museum in the City of Tokmok," the Tokmok City Local Lore Museum was established, and the museum staff was approved according to existing regulations in the amount of 11.5 staff units. Based on the order of the regional department of culture, V.I. Medvedsky, who previously worked as the head of the Tokmok department of the Melitopol Local Lore Museum, was appointed as the museum director. The current director is V.I. Medvedsky.