Peter T. Young photo: Jennifer Barra
4/23/2020 – Peter T. Young is receiving an Individual Achievement Award for his commitment to preserving Hawai‘i ’s culture and history through both his public and private service. His contributions have included years as a school teacher, as head of a series of State of Hawai‘i government departments, in leadership roles with community organizations, and at present, as a consultant on land use planning and environmental reviews.
For the past three years, Peter has served as the president of the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, which this year celebrates its 200th anniversary. He is overseeing and coordinating the Hawaiian Mission Bicentennial activities across the Islands and in New England.
His work as a historian is available for everyone to enjoy and to learn more details of Hawai‘i’s history through his online publication, Ho’okuleana, where you will find links to his additional website, “Images of Old Hawai‘i”, and “The Voyage of the Thaddeus” journal. The website consists of historic summaries of people, places, and events in Hawai‘i’s past. Peter continuously adds entries to it as he uncovers new topics.
“The Voyage of the Thaddeus” is the result of Peter’s years of studying the journals of the first Christian missionary company that arrived in Hawai‘i in 1820. Peter has been posting daily entries about the voyage beginning in October 22, 2019 and continuing to this day. He focuses on selected quotes written on the same day 200 years ago in the personal journals of missionaries and the captain and crew of the Thaddeus. Starting with the ship’s departure from New England on October 23, 1819, through its six months entirely at sea, to its arrival in Honolulu on April 14, 1820, these posts reveal the personal misgivings, fears, and hopes of those onboard the Thaddeus. On a typical day, the journals recorded who was optimistic about the adventure, who was less sure, and captured descriptive details of a perilous voyage that included fierce storms and the frequent threat of encounters with pirates.
“The Voyage of the Thaddeus” also includes a map showing where the Thaddeus was on each day, which Peter was able to estimate from the information in the journals. This incredible first-hand account depended on the resources and original records of the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, plus additional resources that Peter located.
In commemoration of the bicentennial event, posts from “The Voyage of the Thaddeus” are distributed weekly by email and his research is also being shared through public exhibits and events.
Peter was nominated for an Individual Achievement Award by Jennifer Barra and the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives.
The 46th Annual Preservation Honor Awards Ceremony was originally scheduled to be held in May 2020. However, the current public health crisis caused by COVID-19 has resulted in postponement of the public event. A new date will be selected and notices sent at a later date.