SANDAKAN: Historical tourism in Sandakan is set to receive a major boost with the planned establishment of the Martin and Osa Johnson Gallery at the vacant PWD 2002 Building, located near the iconic Agnes Keith House.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew said the new gallery would enrich the town’s heritage offerings and draw more visitors — especially Americans — interested in the couple's exploration of North Borneo (now Sabah).
“This gallery will give visitors the opportunity to learn about the Johnsons’ contributions and adventures, and it will complement the Agnes Keith House, which already draws about 21,000 visitors annually,” she said in a statement on Sunday.
She noted that the gallery will complement the nearby Agnes Keith House — a preserved colonial residence once home to American author Agnes Newton Keith and her husband Harry Keith, then North Borneo’s Conservator of Forests — which is now managed by the Sabah Museum Department under her ministry.
She added that both the Johnsons Gallery and the Agnes Keith House, along with other historic landmarks in Sandakan, would serve as cornerstones of heritage tourism in this east coast town.
Liew said the gallery has the potential to be packaged as a "must-see" destination by tour operators, especially for American tourists. She noted that the Johnsons’ 1920 silent film Jungle Adventure, featuring native communities and wildlife in Kinabatangan, is widely regarded as the world’s first wildlife documentary.
The Agnes Keith House and the nearby St Michael and All Angels' Church are both stops along the Sandakan Heritage Trail.
Liew also highlighted that the house has attracted visitors from over 50 countries since it was opened to the public in 2004 as a historical tourism product. It now houses a museum documenting the story of Agnes Keith and her award-winning book Land Below The Wind, which popularised Sabah’s enduring nickname.
Visitor data from the Sabah Museum Department shows that 64,849 local and foreign tourists toured the Agnes Keith House between 2022 and 2024. From January to April this year alone, the site received 7,976 visitors — 1,529 foreigners and 6,447 locals.
Former Sabah Museum curator Stella Moo shared that she and Daily Express chief editor Datuk James Sarda received more than 2,000 archival photographs taken by the Johnsons in the 1920s and 1930s. The photos were handed over by Jacquelyn Borgeson, chief curator of the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum in Kansas, during her visit to Sabah in 2004.
“Jacquelyn brought the photographs to the Sabah Museum and helped plan an exhibition space for Martin and Osa in the proposed Sandakan Heritage Museum,” said Stella.
Sandakan is Sabah’s second largest city, located on the east coast about 320km from the state capital Kota Kinabalu. It is known for its rich colonial history, wildlife sanctuaries, and eco-tourism attractions.
