The former vacation home of Hawaiian royalty, it was converted to a museum run by the Daughters of Hawaiʻi, showcasing furniture and artifacts.

The palace was originally built out of lava rock by John Adams Kuakini (governor of the island of Hawaiʻi) during the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Ruth died and left the palace to her cousin and sole heir Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop.

[4] In 1927 the Daughters of Hawaiʻi, a group dedicated to preserving the cultural legacy of the Hawaiian Islands, restored Huliheʻe Palace and turned it into a museum.

[3] The palace's walls and ceiling had slight cracks following the 2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake that was centered on the Kohala coast.