Baldwin Home Museum - Lahaina, Maui, HI
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denben
N 20° 52.389 W 156° 40.670
4Q E 741593 N 2309853
The oldest house still standing on the island of Maui, Baldwin Home is a recognizable landmark in the heart of historic Lahaina. It is now the Baldwin Home Museum since 1967.
Waymark Code: WMR890
Location: Hawaii, United States
Date Posted: 05/25/2016
Views: 1
The Baldwin Home was the two-story house of Protestant missionaries in the mid-1830s. The original four-room, single level structure was built with stone, coral and hand-hewn timbers by Reverend Ephraim Spaulding between 1834-35 in what was then referred to as the “missionary compound.”
When Rev. Spaulding became ill in 1836 and returned to Massachusetts, a medical missionary, Reverend Dwight Baldwin, and his family who had been living in a grass hale (hut) in the compound moved into the home, and the legacy of a Maui pioneer began.
The couple had eight children, all born in Hawaii, although two children died of dysentery before the age of three. As their family grew, so did the house. In 1840, a bedroom and medical study were added and in 1849, an entire second floor was completed, which is the structure you see today.
The Baldwins led a busy, vibrant life in Lahaina, opening their home to weary travelers and ship captains to stay as overnight guests. They often received members of Hawaii’s royal court and visiting consuls in their home, which was always a bustling center of activity.
Dr. and Mrs. Baldwin lived in Lahaina through 1868 then moved to Oahu to retire near their daughter. Charlotte Baldwin died at the age of 67 years and Dwight Baldwin lived until the ripe old age of 88 years.
Baldwin Home was deeded to Lahaina Restoration Foundation in 1967 by the Baldwin heirs. It was restored to a mid-19th century design based on careful documentation and archaeological research. Inside are original photographs and artifacts as well as donated furniture and furnishing pieces representing the 1850s period. Baldwin Home Museum is recorded in the Historical American Buildings Survey located in the Library of Congress archives.
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