Honolulu House Museum
We are preparing for Marshall Tourism Day, Saturday May 20, 2017, which was featured in the General Guide. Read the official information about Marshall Tourism Day by reading more of this post. There are eight museums in Marshall. We will be posting a little information about each of them. Here is some basic information for our readers:
Official Information about Honolulu House Museum:
Location: Corner of Mansion and Kalamazoo Click: toggle map
Fee: $5.00 General Admission; discounts apply
Schedule for 2017: Open noon to 4 p.m.
- January, February & March: Closed for the Season
- April: Open Saturdays & Sundays only
- May – October: Open Friday through Monday
- November & December: Saturdays & Sundays only
The Honolulu House Museum stands in the heart of Marshall’s National Historic Landmark District and is listed on the Historic American Buildings Survey. The house was built in 1860 by the first U.S. consul to the Sandwich Islands. For the next century it served as the residence of four Marshall families, until the Marshall Historical Society was formed in 1961 to purchase it and turn it into a museum. Constructed of Marshall sandstone, the Museum is a wonderful blend of Italianate, Gothic Revival, and Polynesian architecture. The Honolulu House is the headquarters of the Marshall Historical Society.
Source: http://marshallhistoricalsociety.org/attractions/1
Historical Marker Text:
Abner Pratt settled in Marshall in 1830 and in the 1850s became Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court. In 1857-59 he was United States Consul to the Sandwich (Hawaiin) Island. Returning home, he built this house in 1860 to recreate the island atmosphere. Teak and ebony were used, and murals on the walls depicted tropical plants and animals. In 1887 the interior was changed, but the opulent style of the exterior, unique in the Midwest, has survived.
From Wikipedia:
Honolulu House is a historic home in Marshall, Michigan, built in 1860 as a Hawaiian-inspired house with Italianate and Gothic Revival styles. It was built by Abner Pratt, a former chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and United States Consul to Hawaii under President James Buchanan. Pratt lived in the Hawaiian islands for many years, and after settling in Marshall, he began to recreate his former surroundings by building Honolulu House. The house was built across the street from a house that Pratt had built as a wedding gift for his daughter in 1841. The Honolulu house has a sprawling wraparound porch, reminiscent of the Hawaiian ‘Iolani Palace. The walls were painted with tropical scenes.
Pratt died of pneumonia in 1863. The house was renovated in 1951 and was acquired in 1961 by the Marshall Historical Society for use as a museum.