Maui's Historic Plantation Town - Pa'ia, HI
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 20° 53.963 W 156° 21.786
4Q E 774305 N 2313264
This sign welcomes people as they come into town on Baldwin Ave. from Makawao, past the old historic sugar mills. It is located next to the historic Holy Rosary Church.
Waymark Code: WMDW78
Location: Hawaii, United States
Date Posted: 02/29/2012
Views: 1
HOLY ROSARY CHURCH
PA'IA, HAWAII
Here is a bit of history form the official website for the historic town of
Pa'ia:
"The Northshore town of Paia, Maui is now over 103 years old and boasts a history alive with diversity and accomplishment. The birth of the town can be traced back to the opening of the Paia Store in 1896. The real roots however, go further back to the creation of the plantation camps which housed workers of the Paia Sugar Mill which up until 2000 was Maui’s oldest operating plantation. The mill opened in 1880 and the store was eventually built to support the needs of the immigrant sugar workers.
The sugar mill’s success attracted workers from many different cultures and races who came to work in the mill or nearby cane fields. Many people of varied backgrounds converged in Paia and the history of the town was written. Paia’s people were a mix of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean Puerto Ricans, Portuguese, and Native Hawaiian who lived and worked together in harmony.
The town continued to grow throughout the early 1900’s building schools, churches, stores and a hospital. The population also continued to grow and during this period, the population of Paia was more than 10,000 people, comprising over one-fifth of Maui’s entire population."
Several major disaster brought changes to the towns. In 1930 a devastating fire razed nearly all of the buildings downtown. Then in 1946 the worst tsunami ever to hit the Hawaiian islands brought further devastation. Workers were beginning to abandon the camp life that had been their main stay, and moved to other nearby towns, leaving a handful of about 1,500 people.
Perhaps a more common nickname for this small town is, “Windsurf Capital of the World,” as the ideal conditions for this sport were discovered in 1978 at Ho’okipa Beach Park. Today, the town is very dependent on the tourist trade with numerous restaurants, art shops, and gift stores. It is also the last town before the beginning of the fabled Hana Highway snaking its way around the northwest side of the island.
Many of the old mill buildings are still standing, some of them converted to other uses, others standing vacant. Among the other historic buildings is the old Paia School, still in use, built in 1926, the first all English government school on Maui.