Historical and Archaeological Museum was founded in 1879. He opened his ethnographer and historian ED Felitsyn, whose name today is the museum. Initially, the museum was called the Cuban military ethnographic and natural history museum. In the 70s of the twentieth century was its connection with the Krasnodar Local History, Anapa and Temryuk local history museums, the Museum family Stepanov, as well as the House-Museum of MY Lermontov and the Archaeological Museum in Taman. After this event, the museum acquired its current name.

The Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve them. ED Felitsyn are many collections that acquaint visitors with the life of peoples and tribes living on the territory of the Kuban earlier. Here the story wide open Kuban Cossacks, because the museum includes more than 420,000 objects. Of particular note is the Gold pantry, showing antique articles of precious metals.

The building of the Museum-Reserve is a luxurious mansion, which was built to order for the brothers Bogarsukovyh in 1901. Its architecture combines classical and baroque style. The interior is rich in marble and wrought with floral ornaments. During the Civil War the building housed the headquarters of the Volunteer Army of General Denikin, after the Revolution it was used as a sanitary part of the Red Army. Then rooms of the mansion were occupied by departments of the NKVD. In 2006, the authorities decided to restoration work, and only two years later, the museum building has been recognized as the best object of restoration at the All-Russian competition.

At the present time the Krasnodar Museum-Reserve is known as the largest museum association of the North Caucasus region, which is included in the list of objects of nationwide significance.