Established in 1820 by the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society, Mission
Houses Museum along with Kawaiahao Church were both recognized as
a National Historic Landmark in 1962. They were both built by early
missionaries and given the combined name of Kawaihao Church and Missions
Houses.
Documents, artifacts, and various other records of the
missionaries in Hawaii during the period 1820 to 1863 are collected and
placed on exhibit by the Mission Houses Museum. The museum interprets the
historic collections and makes them available for educational purposes,
research, and other public needs. More than 3,000 artifacts from Hawaii,
the west, and the pacific can be found. Also, the museum has a
collection of more than 12,000 books, manuscripts, diaries, journals,
Hawaiian Church records and other materials of historical importance.
The
public visiting the museum obtain insight on the life of early
missionaries in Hawaii. A detailed account of cultural change from the
19th-century Hawaii and the work of the missionaries can be appreciated.
The building itself, with its structure built between 1821 and 1841
makes it the oldest surviving western style buildings in Hawaii.
Used
as residence of many prominent missionaries in Hawaii is the white
frame house, the chamberlain house played the role of a storehouse and
separate homes while the printing office used to house the first
printing press in the pacific. The museum also has a very impressive
Hawaiian quilt exhibit and a gift shop with a very large selection of
Hawaiian related gifts.