Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives will be hosting its first installment of the Archives and Inquiry Virtual Speaker Series on February 14, 2023 at 12pm HST. The Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives’ Virtual Speaker Series highlights the discoveries and work of diverse history and humanities scholars that work with Hawaiian Mission Houses' extensive archives, and whose work informs our contemporary world. The Hawaiian Mission Houses' Virtual Speaker Series Archives and Inquiry, is an hour long presentation beginning with the guest speaker and end with Q& A from the audience.

Mike Smola, Curator of Public Programs at the Hawaiian Mission Houses, and Patricia Godfrey, Hawaiian Mission Houses’ trustee, will be presenting “Grave Histories: Cemetery Biography Project at Mission Memorial Cemetery.”

Historic cemeteries are a wealth of information. Interpreting and sharing information about the residents of these cemeteries can lead to more visitor engagement with historic sites. Hawaiian Mission Houses recently launched a project to share the history of the residents of the Mission Memorial Cemetery with the public using QR Codes, signage, and handouts available at the Hawaiian Mission Houses’ gift shop. Come learn about how this project came to fruition and how to access the biographies of the residents of the Mission Memorial Cemetery behind Kawaiahaʻo Church.

The talk will be on Zoom at this link:
Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 834 5996 6594
Passcode: archives

Mike Smola is the Curator of Public Programs at the Hawaiian Mission Houses. He has been a staff member at HMH since 2008. He holds a B.A. in History from Michigan State University and a certificate in Museum Studies, also from Michigan State University.

Patricia Salisbury Godfrey is a sixth generation descendant of the Thurston and Andrews families and a trustee of the Hawaiian Mission Houses. She is co-chair of the Cemetery and Society Relations Committee. She was born and raised on the Big Island and Oahu and is a writer currently compiling the letters of pioneer missionary Lucy Goodale Thurston.
The link and more information are at www.missionhouses.org