Kalawao County is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The county had a population of 82 in 2020. The land slopes steeply up into towering mountains and the nearly mile-high Kamakou peak, then abruptly ends with emerald-green cliffs plunging into a vibrant turquoise sea dotted with desolate islets.
Kalaupapa National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, on the island of Molokai. The park protects and preserves the history and stories of those people afflicted with Hansen's disease (leprosy) who were banished to the Kalaupapa peninsula from 1866 - 1969.
The Church of Saint Philomena was built in the Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement on Molokai Island between 1872 and 1889. The original church was constructed in 1872 by leprosy patients living in Kalaupapa. Father Damien arrived in Kalawao in 1873 and helped expand the church twice.
