Point 11

Hi, my name is Zaylee Doi Desmarais from the CKTV Advanced Media Productions Class at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School. Welcome to the Kauai Museum, point 11, on the Lihue Loop Audio Tour.

Did you know that the building the Kauai Museum is placed in now, was originally established as a library in 1924?

Over the years as the library collection grew, people wanted to see more artwork in the library. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any room for any artwork or exhibits and so community members made a plan and raised the money to construct a museum next to the library building.

They planned to have 2 floors where the first floor housed a primary exhibition space, office, dressing rooms, and some storage. On the second floor, a group work area plus additional display and storage space was planned.

In December of 1960, the museum opened its new building with a gala attended by many of Hawaii's social elite and it was featured on the newspaper society pages around the state. 9 years later, in 1969, the library and its contents moved to its new location on Hardy Street and the 2 buildings then became the permanent home of the Kauai Museum.

Today, the Kauai Museum is still being run by a non-profit organization called the Kauai Museum Association Limited. The Museum's mission is to… “We tell the story of the many cultural heritages that we have.” Using Kauai Museum, to inspire others by.. Telling Kauai, Niihau’s stories. A great example is Ni’ihouans, they all have this personality that is really filled with aloha. That is our Kuleana, to share stories. That was Chucky Boy Chock, the manager of the Kauai Museum. Thanks for sharing that Chucky Boy and thank you for listening. Now it is time for you to move on to the next point on the tour!! Have a great day!