THE HAWAIIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, established in 1892, is a private non-profit organization created by a group of prominent citizens dedicated to preserving historical materials, presenting public lectures, and publishing scholarly research on the history of Hawai’i. Queen Lili’uokalani was an early patron of the Society.

The Society publishes books in English and Hawaiian, and The Hawaiian Journal of History. This annual publication, which is included free as a benefit of membership, is the only peer-reviewed journal to focus on the history of Hawaiians and all other cultures in Hawai’i during both pre- and post-contact times.

The Society’s library, located at the Mission Houses, contains an outstanding collection of photographs, newspapers, magazines, journals, books, pamphlets, and manuscripts made available to scholars and the public.

As a leading organization providing information on the history of Hawai‘i, we present free public lectures every quarter. Our speakers and authors are regularly featured in the media.  We also reach people world-wide through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Past issues of The Hawaiian Journal of History are also available online.

If you would like to support the important work we do, annual dues start at $20 for students, $30 for seniors, and $40 for individuals, or you can make a contribution. You can join by emailing HHSOffice@hawaiianhistory.org if you’d like to talk about the Society’s work with one of our staff. Mahalo!

From 1892 to 1912 the library was housed with the Honolulu Library and Reading Room Association, which had many members in common. Then, when the latter organization was superseded by the Carnegie-endowed Library of Hawaii, the Historical Society’s collection was moved to the new library building. Today the library is in a building completed in 1950 to house the collections of the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society, the Hawaiian Historical Society, and the Hawaiian Evangelical Association Archives. It is located on the grounds of the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, close to historic Kawaiaha‘o Church and Honolulu’s Civic Center.

Over the years the Society has cooperated with the Bishop Museum, Hawai‘i State Archives, Honolulu Museum of Art, University of Hawai‘i, and the Hawai‘i State Library in collecting and preserving historical materials and in making them available to students and scholars. The Hawaiian Journal of History is on line for readers everywhere here.