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All the United States Hawaii Kahului Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum

Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum

Inside, visitors are treated to the rich history of sugar farming and its impact on Hawaiian society.

Kahului, Hawaii

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Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum in the former Puʻunēnē Mill manager’s house   Joel Bradshaw/Public Domain
Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company Mill   Joel Bradshaw/Public Domain
Model of the sugar mill.   JPloeger / Atlas Obscura User
More equipment in the yard.   JPloeger / Atlas Obscura User
Chickens welcome you to the museum.   JPloeger / Atlas Obscura User
Old equipment with the West Maui Mountains in the background.   JPloeger / Atlas Obscura User
Clothing and luggage worn by a Japanese immigrant.   JPloeger / Atlas Obscura User
Portuguese Oven, Sugar Museum Maui   hbuland / Atlas Obscura User
Mill Room, Sugar Museum Maui   hbuland / Atlas Obscura User
Bull Gear, Sugar Museum Maui   hbuland / Atlas Obscura User
Founder’s Room, Sugar Museum Maui   hbuland / Atlas Obscura User
Steam Engine from Puunene Sugar Mill, Sugar Museum Maui   hbuland / Atlas Obscura User
The actual mill just a little down the road.   JPloeger / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Near Puunene, Hawai'i, where feral chickens roam, is a small museum tucked away near an old mill that once processed sugar cane. The sugar mill closed its doors in 2016, but the museum remains.

Sugarcane was introduced to the Hawaiian islands in the early 19th century, and quickly became a big business. The industry was largely controlled by foreign businesses and the descendants of missionary families, and the rapid expansion of sugarcane plantations and processing plants led to massive population growth.

Alexander & Baldwin was part of Hawai'i's "Big Five," a group of sugarcane processing corporations that held considerable political power. The company was founded by Samuel Thomas Alexander and Henry Perrine Baldwin in 1870, when the sugarcane industry was expanding in Hawai'i.

The 1,800-square-foot museum houses artifacts, documents, and photographs from the era when sugar was big business. Exhibits the history of Hawaiian sugarcane plantations and Alexander & Baldwin, a company that helped shape the sugarcane industry in Hawai'i. Inside, visitors are educated on the history of the sugar industry on the island, plantation life, and the effect the industry had on immigration to the island. The museum also explores how the sugar industry and immigration helped shape modern island culture. Outdoor exhibits include massive steam engines that once powered mill equipment, and harvesting machines.

One exhibit shows a woman worker wrapped in cloth from head to toe, despite the stifling heat—to protect her from the scorpions in the cane.

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Museums History Sugar Colonialism

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Located across the street from the historic Puunene sugar mill, 3957 Hansen Road, Puunene, Maui.

Open Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Last admission is at 1 p.m.

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JPloeger

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hbuland, wbraden, michellecassidy1

  • hbuland
  • wbraden
  • michellecassidy1

Published

January 10, 2020

Updated

April 9, 2024

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Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum
3957 Hansen Rd
Kahului, Hawaii, 96784
United States
20.869304, -156.455072
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