Revisiting the Past at Grove Farm Museum

By Léo Azambuja

Grove Farm Museum Kitchen Manager Paula Rosa, left, and Tour Coordinator Maile Kennedy are seen here at the main house. Photo by Léo Azambuja

There was a time when sugar was the absolute king in Hawai‘i. But the sugar plantations brought much more than a thriving economy; they pretty much shaped modern-day Hawai‘i in a multitude of ways, including culture, food, music, language, ethnic diversity and more.

The Grove Farm museum in Līhuʻe provides a two-hour tour that lets us take a pretty good peek into what plantation life used to be — and also how it came to be.

“Grove Farm is truly an island treasure,” said Maile Kennedy, tour coordinator at the Grove Farm museum. “The Wilcox family’s history is well-told and the buildings left as if they have just left for the day. Being able to walk through the grounds and buildings as they were left, gives our visitors a sense of time just standing still.”

In 1854, German immigrant Herman A. Widemann cut a grove of kukui trees to plant sugar cane in Līhuʻe, and named his new sugar-planting business Grove Farm. Ten years later, he leased his farm to a young entrepreneur named George Norton Wilcox, one of the eight children of missionary teachers Abner and Lucy Wilcox.

Later, the brilliant-minded George would buy the plantation and transform it into one of the most successful and long-running sugar endeavors in Hawai‘i. Grove Farm Company produced sugar until the mid-1990s, and was sold to AOL co-founder Stephen Case in 2000. Today, Grove Farm Company and Grove Farm museum are two different entities that are not associated with each other.

Grove Farm Museum

George studied at the prestigious Punahou School on O‘ahu and then at the Sheffield Scientific School (now part of Yale University) in Connecticut as a civil engineer. He ran Grove Farm from his house in Līhuʻe, where the Grove Farm museum stands today. Besides running the plantation, he invested in other businesses and served as a politician in the government.

A man who could do almost anything, George amassed a large wealth but never lost sight of his humble beginnings. During his lifetime, he donated the equivalent of about $36 million in today’s currency, and lived in a modest one-bedroom home next to the much larger Grove Farm main office. He was known for being a kind, honest boss. He died a bachelor in 1933 at 93 years old, leaving behind one of the largest private estates of the former Territory of Hawai‘i. After his death, Grove Farm Company’s main office moved to Puhi.

Wilcox’s nieces, Mabel Wilcox and Elsie Wilcox lived the rest of their lives in the Grove Farm main house in Līhuʻe. They never married. Elsie died in 1954. Mabel was concerned that if Grove Farm Company shut down, they would sell the house and all its history would be lost. So in 1971, Mabel, already in her late 80s, bought the Grove Farm house in Līhuʻe from Grove Farm Company. The property, known as the Grove Farm Homestead, is in the National Register of Historic Places since 1974.

Grove Farm Museum

In 1975, Mabel turned the then-Waioli Mission, once a private foundation, into the nonprofit Waioli Corporation, which oversees the museum.

Mabel died in 1978, and the first tour of the museum and property happened in October 1980.

“Miss Mabel Wilcox envisioned the home she was born and raised in to be converted to a living museum, which came to fruition two years after she passed away,” Kennedy said.

The tours, she added, show our visitors and community an example of a developing sugar plantation, and share the Wilcox family history, as well as their philanthropy for our island community.

The main house still looks pretty much the way it did when Mabel spent her last days there. The collection of Hawaiian relics, including a first edition of Capt. James Cook’s journal is still intact. The kitchen still functions on a daily basis. The furniture is impeccably clean. Artworks that have been professionally restored adorn the walls. The exquisite ‘ohi‘a wood floors are spotless. Mabel’s 1971 Buick Skylark is still parked at the porte cochere. The 1861 piano still plays beautifully. At every direction you look, you become immersed in the past.

“Every guest is in awe of the main house and how well preserved it is. Guests say it truly is a step back in time,” Kennedy said.

The land surrounding the Grove Farm museum extends for about 80 acres in Līhu‘e, and it includes many other historic structures, railroad tracks and four original locomotives — all of which are restored but still in need of repairs, including Paulo, that up until recently would still fire monthly to take people on short tours. The locomotives — in the National Register of Historic Places’ list since 1979 — aren’t in display but there are plans for a Locomotive Learning Park in the future, according to Kennedy.

She said many locals have never been to the museum, and are surprised to learn so much about the Wilcox family contributions. But recently, there was an increase of local residents in the property.

“Our tours have always been during the week, which may make it harder for some locals to come due to their work schedules. The pandemic has created an opportunity for us to share with more locals and we are offering a kama‘aina rate because of this. ‘Ohana Days are usually held twice a year for Hawai‘i residents to come for free as well,” Kennedy said.

Mabel and Elsie also left a large contribution to our island community, including in health care, education and history preservation.

Kitchen manager Paula Rosa

Mabel graduated as a nurse from the John Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing in 1911, and served with the American Red Cross in Europe during World War I. She helped her uncle Albert Wilcox and his wife Emma to open Samuel Mahelona Hospital in Kapa‘a.

Elsie served as the first woman for the Territorial Senate of Hawai‘i from 1932 to 1940, chairing the Education Committee. The Elsie H. Wilcox Elementary School in Lihu‘e honors her legacy. She was also a founding member of the Kaua‘i Historical Society, where she served for 40 years as a secretary and treasurer.

The several buildings in the Grove Farm property help to tell the story of one of the most successful sugar plantations in Hawaiʻi, but more important is the story of the people who lived there, and how the sugar plantations became key in shaping the island’s local culture into what it is today.

“We want our visitors to know we are a nonprofit organization with the kuleana (responsibility) of preserving historic sites like Grove Farm museum and Waioli Mission House in Hanalei,” Kennedy said. “By sharing authentic educational experiences through the people, collections, and properties we hope to bring to life Kaua‘i’s rich history and culture.”

A washing machine

A donation of $20 per person and $10 for children ages 5-12 is requested for the two-hour walking tour. Tours are offered on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. or 1p.m.

Kennedy said people should be take the tour to appreciate Kaua‘i’s history and see the beauty of Old Hawai‘i.

“It is a slow-paced tour that is geared toward many interests, of people both young and old. The farm is the highlight for the keiki and the main house and grounds for the grown ups,” she said.

To learn more, you will just have to take the tour. And if you like it that much, you could apply to become a volunteer guide.

Visit www.grovefarm.org or call (808) 245-3202 for more information or to book a tour.