Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site & Archives has been featured onGreat American Treasures — a prestigious collection of more than 75 historical sites across the nation that together tell the complete story of how America became America.
Being recognized alongside landmarks from coast to coast is a testament to the unique and irreplaceable role Hawaiʻi’s history plays in the American story. Our site — the former headquarters of the Sandwich Islands Mission from 1820 to 1863 — is where Native Hawaiians, American Protestant missionaries, sailors, and merchants wove together a history that is rich, complex, and deeply human. That story is now shared with a national audience.
Great American Treasures highlights the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site & Archives (click here) – across our four preserved historic houses, research archives, and the immersive experience that transports visitors back to Honolulu in the early to mid-1800s.
Visitors from around the world can now discover Ka Hale Laʻau — the oldest standing Western house in Hawaiʻi — the Chamberlain House, the Printing House with its working replica Ramage Press (the first printing press in the Islands), and the reconstructed Hale Pili.
The Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site & Archives also maintains one of the largest collection of Hawaiian language books in the world!