In 1883 Heinrich Hermann Peter Julius Wilhelm von Fircks (1831-1889), the baron of Okte Manor, signed an exchange agreement with his elder brother Otto von Fircks (1830-1908). The contract was registered in the land register on 16 August 1884. Construction of a new residence began in 1888. After Heinrich von Fircks' death, the building works were continued by his son Friedrich Otto von Fircks (1869-1927). 

The city residence, known as Villa Hochheim, was completed in 1892. It became the home of Friedrich Otto von Fircks' mother Auguste Henriette von Fircks (née Rinka) and his sister Julia Anna von Fircks. The house was built in Neo-Classical style as a one-storey elongated building with a high rusticated basement and a gable roof. At the same time, a landscaped park was designed, taking advantage of the hilly terrain, a pond, and panoramic views of the town. Some of the trees were imported from Germany, while others came from the renowned Schoch nursery in Salaspils. Today this territory is known as the Talsi Dendrological Park. 

The baron's family lived here until the 1920s, when they repatriated to Germany. Afterwards, the land and buildings were transferred to the Ministry of Education for establishing a state secondary school. In 1923, the State Talsi Secondary School opened here, later gaining gymnasium status. In the same year, the school's historical museum was founded. 

Responding to the call of the Latvian Ethnographic Museum to establish local museums and collect materials on folk history, local history enthusiasts led by teacher Teodors Dzintarkalns involved teachers, students, and the wider community. By 1928, they had gathered as many as 8,500 items. The local branch of the Society for the Study of Latvian Antiquities, founded in 1924, also took part in the work. 

The then school director, Ansis Dreimanis (1882-1968), later recalled that Teodors Dzintarkalns (1874-1937) "...collected old work tools, clothing, jewellery, books, and organised a historical museum at the school. It became quite famous, and many excursion groups came to see it." Dzintarkalns himself considered the founding of the museum one of Talsi's greatest post-World War I achievements. 

During World War II the museum archive and most of the collection were lost - either taken to Germany or destroyed. The surviving items, under the initiative of the Riga History Museum and the Art Administration of the Latvian SSR, were placed in two separate museums - the Talsi District History Museum (Baznīcas Square 2) and the Talsi District Art Museum (Fabrikas Street 1). 

In September 1945 the two institutions were merged under the name Talsi History and Art Museum and housed in a nationalised building at Rožu Street 7 - formerly the residence and law office of Talsi lawyer Vilis Kaijgars, who had been deported to Siberia. 

Over the following decades, the museum underwent several name changes: Talsi History Museum, Talsi Local History Research Museum, and later a branch of the Tukums Local History and Art Museum (1963-1966). From 1966 to 1996 it was known as the Talsi Local History and Art Museum. Finally, in 1996 it received its current name - Talsi District Museum. 

The period at Rožu Street 7 was significant for the museum's professional development. Under director Jānis Znotiņš (1949-1960), despite the obligatory Soviet ideology, systematic research work and exhibition practice were established. Later, under director Anna Rasa (1968-1994), the museum collection was expanded, large-scale expeditions were organised in Talsi district villages, and the celebrated Talsi Art Days were launched (1983-1989). From 1994 to 2020 the director was Mirdza Jonele, while since 2020 the position has been held by Uldis Jaunzems-Pētersons. 

On 21 December 1996, with a festive celebration, the Talsi District Museum returned to its historic premises at K. Mīlenbaha Street 19. Today, exhibitions and displays are arranged across three floors of the historic building, as well as in the exhibition hall of the adjacent collection building. Alongside permanent exhibitions, the museum regularly hosts new temporary exhibitions. www.talsumuzejs.lv/vesture