The Museum began by people who love Makawao and its history.
Currently the Makawao Museum has been closed since 2021.
All donations and proceeds from online store go towards any future endeavors for the museum, physical or otherwise.
Thank you for your interest, feel free to reach out with any questions!
Please search the website for incredible interviews with our kupuna, and
digital exhibits we have available for you.
To preserve and share…
The Project
The Museum began by people who love Makawao and its history. In just three weeks with the help of money from the Maui Community Association, the Museum went from idea to opening day on Third Friday of November 2013.
Building on the foundations
First housed on Makawao Avenue, the Museum offered exhibits on plantations, ranching, schools and churches, polo, ethnic groups – the whole gamut of Makawao experience. From the very first day, the Museum has been free to the public and open every day of the week, kept open by a dedicated group of volunteers.
Growing
After one year, we moved to a smaller but more central spot on Baldwin Avenue and continued to expand our reach. Taking the walking tour as a base, we installed plaques on the selected buildings and sites in town. We then began conducting oral history interviews of the kupuna of Makawao.
Keeping the doors open
The Makawao History Museum published a fundraising cookbook, Look What’s Cooking in Makawao, notecards, and postcards, as well as Discovering Historic Makawao: A Walking Tour. In 2019 we began designing and selling t-shirts and other Museum memorabilia. We are a non-profit corporation governed by a board of directors, funded by the County of Maui, the sale of these products, and the generosity of our donors.
Awards and Acknowledgments
The Historic Hawai`i Foundation, impressed with our accomplishments, gave us two awards in 2015, one for the founding and first year of our existence and one for Discovering Historic Makawao.
Share it.
It all begins with an idea. New exhibits are created every season to share the history of Upcountry with visitors and locals alike. None of this is possible without the help, support and donations.
Past MHM Board of Directors
President
Katie Matthew- Museum Technician for the National Park Service
Secretary / Volunteer Coordinator
Kathy Nelson – Retired AT&T
Treasurer
Jeremy Baldwin – Businessman
Directors
Kathy Florence - Business Associate
Marilyn Morikawa – Retired Teacher Kalama Intermediate
Mike Takemoto – Associate Professor Art/Humanities, University of Hawai’i Maui College
Advisory Council Members
Steven Capelli
Kathy Collins
John Costales
Karen Fischer
Duane Hamamura
DeBorah Hoopingarner
Wendy Hudson
Sunny Jordan
Wilbert Kajihara
Sissy Lake Farm
Camille Lyons
Kristina Lyons
Theo Morrison
Jim Niess
Darrell Orwig
Brook Starr
Theresa Thompson
Charlene Thompson
Benny Uyetake