The Illinois State Police began on April 1, 1922, with the appointment of the first director, John J. Stack, and the first eight men as highway patrol officers.  The equipment included surplus World War I motorcycles and uniforms.

Fifty-years later, in 1972, the Illinois State Police had 1,709 sworn officers and 602 civilian employees. By 1997, the ISP has 2,124 officers and 1,680 support personnel.

In December 2000, a group of retired and active ISP employees formed the Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation in order to preserve the history of the department. The Foundation opened this museum on April 1, 2005 - exactly 83 years after the Illinois State Police came into existence.

The museum is open to the public and contains the history and many artifacts of the Illinois State Police.