Waimea Sugar Mill Camp Museum, Kauai
Take the Plantation Lifestyles Tour through an authentic sugar plantation and the ruins of an old sugar mill. Stroll down the original dirt roads and see the workers' actual homes and personal gardens. This small museum in Waimea on Kauai's south shore immerses you in Hawaii's sugar plantation history and the communities that lived and worked here. Most of the workers came from foreign countries, and the plantation played an important role in their socialization. It was both work and a community.
The museum also features the historic Engine 7162, built in 1928. It was purchased by the sugar mill sometime after 1945 and used to power the pumps in the irrigation ditches. The massive engine has suffered little corrosion and remains in remarkably good condition.
The plantation dates back to 1880 when Norwegian-born Hans Faye leased the land from his uncle. After clearing the soil of lava rock, he planted his first sugarcane crop. In 1969, the Faye family sold the financially declining sugar operation, but retained ownership of the land.
Visit the Faye Museum at Waimea Plantation Cottages to see photos and exhibits about Hans Faye and the sugar plantation. Waimea Plantation Cottages is adjacent to the Sugar Mill Camp. It is a resort comprised of restored plantation cottages dating from the 1880s to the 1930s.
