Haiku Mill, along the northern coast of Maui, occupies a relatively short chapter in the annals of Hawaii’s 181-year sugar history; Haiku Sugar Co. processed cane there for just 18 years.

Still, the mill is notable. It’s on state and national registers of historic places. Built of basalt for $12,000 ($54 million in today’s money), it was the first such facility in Hawaii to use a steam engine to grind cane — cutting-edge technology at the time. The mill processed its first crop in 1861 when Hawaii’s sugar industry was still young. There were just 10 sugar companies in the islands at the time. By 1884 that number had soared to 80.

In 1871, Samuel T. Alexander became the mill’s manager. He had partnered with fellow entrepreneur Henry Perrine Baldwin the year before to purchase land to grow cane (Alexander & Baldwin later became one of the “Big Five” corporations that dominated Hawaii’s economy for decades).

Realizing a reliable source of water was needed for their thirsty crop, Alexander designed an aqueduct that would carry water from the verdant windward slopes of Haleakala Volcano to the semiarid Central Maui isthmus, where 3,000 acres of cane owned by their company and neighboring plantations were located. Baldwin oversaw the two-year construction of the 17-mile Old Hamakua Ditch, which opened in 1878.

But with Central Maui becoming the hub for sugar production, Haiku Mill closed the following year. It was abandoned and pretty much forgotten for more than a century.

Fast-forward to 1989. When windsurfing standout Mickey Eskimo saw the 2-acre Haiku Mill property, he knew he had found the peace, lushness and privacy he had been looking for and purchased it.

“His Realtor told him not to worry about the big pile of rocks on the site,” said Sylvia Hamilton Kerr, Eskimo’s former love and current owner of the property. “He said it could be turned into a swimming pool or a tennis court.”

Looking back, she admits the real estate agent’s description of Haiku Mill was pretty accurate. The roots of a big banyan tree had encroached on the northeast corner, leaving a massive hole. Windows were collapsing, and leaves and debris had composted on the walls. Plants had sprouted up, and their roots had cracked the stones, causing the walls to crumble. There was no trace of the roof; the elements had already claimed it.

Even though they knew it would be a daunting project, Hamilton Kerr and Eskimo decided to restore the historic landmark, clear the overgrowth of vegetation and plant some 55 species of flowers, shrubs and trees.

The 10 large mango trees in the gardens are nearly 100 years old. Those trees, along with breadfruit, banana, lemon, lime, orange, papaya, lilikoi and more, yield enough fruit for a small commercial business, proceeds from which help maintain the mill and the adjacent century-old Cane House.

Alexander & Baldwin previously owned the wooden structure, which is believed to have housed employees of its Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar mill in Puunene. It was later converted to an office where the plantation’s truck drivers trained, took tests and picked up keys.

Hamilton Kerr happened to see it at the Puunene mill one day, standing vacant and neglected, and asked Eskimo to inquire about buying it. He was told he could have it if he paid for hauling it away.

They brought it to Haiku in the mid-1990s. “(We) added a kitchen using scavenged wood, windows and doors, and incorporated European-inspired decor,” Hamilton Kerr said. “We wanted to re-create the beauty of the mid-1800s, when Haiku Mill was built, and, in my opinion, the best pieces in the world from that era are from Europe.”

She and Eskimo scoured markets and antique stores there for appropriate things. Indeed, the Cane House’s humble facade belies the elegant touches in its whitewashed interior, including crystal chandeliers from France and Austria and a mirror from Italy with etched glass borders.

Hamilton Kerr’s flair for interior design is also evident in the mill itself. Cherub sculptures from France’s Provence region greet visitors on the ground floor, an 8-foot waterfall drops into a basin on the top level and a mid-18th-century chandelier from Paris hangs from a glass ceiling that rests on six 15-foot cast-iron columns that once stood in Les Halles, a huge marketplace in the City of Light which opened in the 12th century. The marketplace was demolished in 1971, and Hamilton Kerr and Eskimo were fortunate to find the columns at a flea market in Paris.

Long strands of glass beads cascade around the chandelier like sparkling raindrops, and wisteria, Easter lily, trumpet vines, Spanish jasmine and mock orange add their vibrant colors and fragrances to the setting.

“The mill was in disrepair when we first saw it, but even then there was a stateliness about it,” Hamilton Kerr said. “It reminded Mickey of a European castle; he was born and raised in Vienna, which is dominated by Old World architecture. We envisioned the ruins being transformed into something romantic and elegant, which is what people see today.”

On an hourlong tour, visitors gain insights about Hawaii’s sugar history, Haiku Mill’s role in it and how immigrant workers shaped the state’s cosmopolitan population. They stroll through the mill and the Cane House, learn about diverse tropical greenery, sample fruit they pluck from the trees and enjoy time for picture taking and “talking story” with the guide.

“It has taken a full 28 years to get where we are, and we’re still not done,” Hamilton Kerr said. “For example, the gardens are far from complete. I’d like to add statuary, a fountain and more flowers. That will be the icing on the cake.”

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.