This terrific museum comprises several galleries in an sturdy old coral-stone building that was Cebu's provincial jail from 1870 to 2004. Most interesting are the Spanish-era and American-era galleries. The latter contains an interesting collection of letters and memorabilia from Thomas Sharpe, one of 1065 teachers known as Thomasites who arrived in the early days of the American period to fulfil President McKinley's pledge to 'educate the Filipinos'.
Upstairs a WWII gallery contains an American bomb that was dropped in Cebu, Japanese propaganda newspapers and a Purple Heart and Bronze Star earned by Uldrico Cabahug, a native Cebuano who is still alive and drops by from time to time. The museum's newest gallery is a collection of rare Spanish-era architectural blueprints, maps and charts, on loan from the National Archives.
