Fagatogo and the history inside the Jean P. Haydon Museum

Ask for the Jean P. Haydon Museum in Fagatogo when exploring Pago Pago Harbor. Fagatogo is both a village and American Samoa’s seat of government. Its waterfront history reaches from the naval administration to today’s port, and a single museum building lets you follow several of those changes.

Why does the museum building look different from a traditional fale?

Its historic wing began as a US Navy commissary in 1917. The builders used concrete even for the roof, adapting naval architecture to a tropical climate. The building later served as a post office before becoming a museum. It stands across from the present post office. Think about the people who would have come to this address to buy provisions, collect mail or visit a collection a generation later.

How did the collection begin?

First Lady Jean P. Haydon established the museum in 1970, initially keeping its collection in the Governor’s Residence. The museum opened in its Fagatogo home on Flag Day in 1973. Its holdings include finely woven Samoan mats and lunar material commemorating American Samoa’s part in the Apollo missions. These objects connect domestic craft and Pacific history at very different scales.

What can I use to compare the harbor then and now?

The American Samoa Historic Preservation Office publishes archival photographs, including a view of Fagatogo around 1900. Look at the shape of the shore and the positions of the buildings before trying to recognize individual structures. The museum and the historic photographs together explain why a working harbor, government buildings and a cultural collection share such a small part of Tutuila.