By Mu Vitet
SANDAKAN: The setting up of the Martin and Osa Johnson Gallery at the PWD 2002 building could help boost historical tourism in the town, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew.
She said the gallery would complement the Agnes Keith House next door, which draws around 21,000 visitors each year.
The gallery, which highlights the American couple’s exploration in then North Borneo, offers visitors a look into the past.
Agnes, an American author, and her husband Harry Keith, who served as the North Borneo Conservator of Forests, once lived in the house. It is now preserved by the Sabah Museum Department.
“Both the Johnsons Gallery and Agnes Keith House, along with other historical buildings in Sandakan, are key parts of the town’s heritage tourism,” said Liew.
“A gallery dedicated to the Johnsons will likely attract more American tourists if it is included in tour packages.”
The couple’s 1920 silent movie, Jungle Adventure, which featured native communities and wildlife in Kinabatangan, is regarded as the world’s first wildlife documentary.
The Agnes Keith House and the nearby St Michael and All Angels’ Church are stops on the Sandakan Heritage Trail.
Between 2022 and 2024, the Agnes Keith House received 64,849 visitors, both local and foreign.
“In the first four months of this year, 7,976 people visited the house, 1,529 foreigners and 6,447 locals,” Liew said.
The house was opened to the public in 2004 as a historical tourism product. Since then, it has drawn thousands of visitors from more than 50 countries.
