The Kona Historical Society's Kona Coffee Living History Farm (KCLHF) is a working seven-acre coffee and macadamia nut farm located in the heart of Kona's famous Kona Coffee Belt.
The Uchida Farm Project & Uchida Family History
In 1994, Daisaku Uchida's farm was secured by the Kona Historical Society with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Hawaii State Legislature, private foundations, and the Kona community. The farm site met the Secretary of Interior's criteria for preservation along with the practical needs for providing access to the public.
Uchida Farm Coffee Mill (courtesy of KHS)
Started in 1913, the Uchida farm, as it now stands today, was built between 1925-1941 and includes a six-room house, Japanese style bathhouse, washhouse, coffee pulping mill and drying platform, redwood water catchment tanks, and outbuildings. The farm buildings are surrounded by nearly seven acres of coffee and macadamia nuts.
The site is exceptional because the Uchida family occupied and operated the farm continuously from 1913 until January 1994 when Daisaku and Shima’s eldest son Masao and his wife Masako retired to Honolulu to live with their children. Both Daisaku and Shima passed away on the farm, she in 1966 and he at the age of ninety-nine in 1986. All of the five children raised on the farm are still living and have been involved with the project. The Uchidas' youngest daughter, Fusae Takahara, has in the process become an integral member of the project team and has worked hand-in-hand with KHS during the entire project. Fortunately, the family did very little to alter the original structures or furnishings, thus ensuring a high integrity for preservation.
The KCLHF is the only living history farm in Hawaii and has received numerous awards for its authentic preservation and its fun and dynamic tour. All of the tour guides are long time residents of Kona and many are Nisei and Sansei descendants of early Japanese pioneers. Japanese language tours are also offered.
URL: http://konahistorical.org/farmproject/
Address:
Kona Coffee Living History Farm
D. Uchida Farm Project
P. O. Box 398
Captain Cook, Hawaii 96704
U.S.A.
Contact:
E-mail: khs@konahistorical.org
© Lawrence Taguma All rights reserved.