Report to the Hilo Boarding School’s principal’s office immediately! Or rather, do so sometime between July 31 and October 30 on a special tour of the Mission House Annex. This recently restored wing of the Lyman Mission House was built in 1845 for Reverend David Lyman’s office and barter room. It has never before been open to the public. View koa furniture crafted by HBS students, learn about early 19th century trade, and discover how lime plaster was made from local materials on a guided tour of the Annex at 1:00 & 3:00 p.m. daily.
The Hilo Boarding School was founded by Rev. Lyman in 1836 for Hawaiian boys, and by the 1890s the school welcomed sons of local sugar plantation workers. The school combined religious and secular studies with some agricultural work. Instruction was given in the Hawaiian language until 1853 when the Hawaiian government requested schools to teach bilingually in Hawaiian and English. Eventually, the curriculum focused on vocational training, including blacksmithing, printing, and carpentry.
The Annex work was the last phase of a complete Mission House restoration made possible by the G.N. Wilcox Trust Foundation; S.W. Wilcox Trust Foundation; Hiroaki, Elaine & Lawrence Kono Foundation; Hawai`i Tourism Authority; and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.