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Lahaina Heritage Museum

LAHAINA, MAUI--Lahaina Heritage Museum recently unveiled a new exhibit, "Lahaina's Whaling Days & Whales Today," in its location on the second floor of Old Lahaina Courthouse at 648 Wharf Street in the heart of Lahaina Town. Open daily from 9 am to 5 pm with free admission, the museum features an interactive showcase for both residents of and visitors to Maui.

In addition to the new show, the museum now features and eight-foot by five-foot (8' x 5') three-dimensional relief map of Maui island displayed in a beautiful koa wood cabinet. The map was donated to the museum by the Maui Marriott Resort and Ocean Club, courtesy of General Manager Bill Countryman with the assistance of Kirsten Robinson.

"Since we installed the map it has been constantly surrounded by visitors pointing to the places they have been or plan to go," says Theo Morrison, executive director of LahainaTown Action Committee and Lahaina Heritage Museum. "This is an opportunity to see the island of Maui in its entirety and in full color, set on an ocean [of plexiglass] and illuminated by lights from underneath. We refurbished the display, added a new photo of Lahaina's seawall and storefronts, and included a brief history of the town."

Making the history of Lahaina come alive with all facets of its heritage is the museum's focus. In the new whaling days exhibit, the storyline follows a progression from past to present, depicting Humpback whales as hunted by the New England whalers, including what Lahaina was like in the 1850s during the height of the whaling era. Going into the 20th century, the exhibit depicts the "Save the Whales" environmental awareness movement of the 1960s and 70s, then continues to the present with a series of Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sactuary photographs by Flip Nicklin, National Geographic photographer and part-time Maui resident.

Lahaina merchants and longtime residents loaned valuable whaling artifacts, tools, scrimshaw art objects, and documents to the museum for the new exhibit. Full-size whaling implements, such as cutting spades, a lance, whaleboat oar, and carpenter tools used on a whaling ship came from Jim and Becky Lennon of the Pioneer Inn. Bob and Kathy Hartman, owners of the Whaler's Locker, loaned a Greener gun and harpoon iron for display, in addition to an octant, Narwhal tusk, Sperm whale teeth and an 8-foot jaw, among other artifacts. Connie Sutherland and her family loaned official documents and large scrapbooks which contain clippings documenting the establishment of the national marine sanctuary in Maui County, as well as memorablilia from the Maui Whalewatchers organization of the 1970s. The late Charles Sutherland was instrumental in getting the State of Hawaii to proclaim the Humpback whale as its official marine mammal in 1976. From the Lahaina Restoration Foundation's Masters Reading Room came antique nautical artifacts, such as sextant, an hourglass and captain's telescopes, which are on display in the museum.

An interactive feature of the exhibit is a replica of a jail cell from Lahaina's Hale Pa'ahao (Stuck in Irons House) of the mid-1850s. Inside, a sailor-prisoner talks about his escapades in Lahaina that led up to his arrest. Visitors also hear sea chantey tunes in the background. Capt. Billy Bones (nee Sayles) recorded the monlogue and three-penny whistle music for the display.

The current show will run indefinitely. For more information, call Lahaina Heritage Museum directly at (808)661-1959 or email info@visitlahaina.com