Gilman Store, Custom House & Meeting House - Lahaina, Hawaii
Posted by: 
elyob
N 20° 52.368 W 156° 40.674
4Q E 741586 N 2309815
Sign is east of the public library.
Waymark Code: WMNWA3
Location: Hawaii, United States
Date Posted: 05/10/2015
Views: 4
This sign is part of the Lahaina Historic Trail.
Bordering the King's taro patch and facing toward the sea in the 1850s were Gilman's store, the Custom House and a thatched longhouse (Kamehameha's Hale Mua or Meeting House). This lot was named Pa Pelekane (enclosure of the British) and as you can see, today's street still bears the name. Gorham Gilman arrived in Lahaina in 1849 and established his general store (an outfitter for whalers) and various storehouses, which stretched from the Lahaina Point landing to Front Street in the approximate location of the north side of today's Pioneer Inn. Until recently, some of large iron try-pots (in which whale blubber was rendered into oil) from the whaling era could still be found in this area.
The Custom House next door to Gilman's was a low structure about 50 feet long. Ship captains were required to check in there to fill out forms and pay port fees. Mail was also collected in the building, and government documents were stored in a safe.
The thatched Hale Mua was said to have been located next to the Custom House. It became known as the Meeting House because it was where the ruling chiefs gathered with missionary Rev. William Richards to draft the "Declaration of Rights and Laws" in 1839. This was the catalyst for the Kingdom of Hawai'i to become a constitutional monarchy. King Kamehameha III presented the Constitution to his people on October 8, 1840.