Jean P. Haydon Museum

A brochure detailing the history of the National Register of Historic Places site Jean P. Haydon Museum Text from brochure: "The Jean P. Haydon Museum was initially two buildings (the Navy Commissary and Garage). The Navy authorized construction of a new one story commissary in 1917, and it was built with the same locally made molded concrete blocks as were used on the radio station just down the road. The Museum is one of several buildings that represent a distinctive architectural style developed by the Navy in response to the effects the harsh tropical climate was having on the other buildings of the state. The building measures approximately 40 by 70 feel, and there is a covered veranda along the front facing the main road. The Commissary was built in 1917 to provide goods for sailors and dependents of Naval Station, Tutuila, and its exterior has remained essentially the same since its construction. The Commissary was one of the only places in American Samoa where sailors could get items from back home, such as tennis shows and dried and canned goods. Only active duty personnel and their dependents had access to the Commissary, which probably made it one of the reasons local Samoans might want to join the ranks as part of the Fita Fita Guard. The Commissary remained open for over 30 years, before closing and being converted to a U.S. Post Office by the Department of the Interior. The Post Office was operational at this location for almost 20 years, until a new one was built as part of the Lumana'i Building across the street. At this time, Governor Haydon would become a museum dedicated to preserving Samoan history. The work on the renovation of the post office to a museum was performed by local businessman Bill Satele." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the American Samoa Historic Preseervation Office, Executive Offices of the Governor, administered by the Pacific West Regional Office, National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior (grant number 60-08-21756).

Jean P. Haydon Museum

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