Greenwell Store
circa 1875
Has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Kona Heritage Store
Greenwell Store
est. ca. 1875
Kona Historical Society & Pulama
(supplementary panel)
Welcome to the Kona Historical Society's historic general store.
As you enter the broad front doors, you cross the threshold into the 1890s. Stocked with accurate reproductions of goods that filled the shelves and hung from the ceiling joists, the store offers a glimpse of activities at Kalukalu over a century ago.
In the 1870s, Henry Nicholas Greenwell built this stone store of lava rock mortared with a mixture of burnt coral, sand and water. It was the center of commerce for this mauka (inland) area, and an important commercial outpost in the isolated but growing district of Kona. Until then, stores and warehouses were located at the coastal ports.
The general merchandise store also served as the post office and meeting place. Residents and travelers of all ethnicities came to purchase and barter for food, farm equipment, household items, pharmaceuticals, and clothing. For free, they could catch up on the local gossip.
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