Peter T Young

February 11, 2020 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Samuel G Wilder

Samuel Gardner Wilder was born June 20, 1831 in Massachusetts. Wilder arrived in Honolulu in the clipper ship White Swallow in the year 1857, that same year he married Elizabeth Kinaʻu Judd, daughter of missionary doctor and politician Gerrit P. Judd.

Their honeymoon voyage to New York on the chartered White Swallow went via Jarvis Island, where Wilder picked a load of guano for sale on the continent.

“Samuel G Wilder has had the career of a man of more than ordinary ability and energy whose private enterprises and public services have both in a large degree been a benefit to the country of his adoption.” (Hawaiian Gazette July 31, 1888.)

Upon returning to the islands, in 1864, Wilder and his father in law (Judd) set up a partnership for a sugar plantation at Kualoa, and built the mill and the stone chimney together.

The mill is associated with a tragedy when Willy Wilder, the nine year old son of Samuel Wilder, fell into a vat of boiling syrup during processing. He died a few days later from his severe burns.

By 1867, the decision to end the Judd-Wilder venture at Kualoa was made. The mill ground its last crop during the summer of 1868. After the failure of the plantation, the land was used a pasture for cattle and horses under the name of Kualoa Ranch.

He was later in the lumber business, but his wealth and prominence started in the interisland steam transportation business. Starting with the Kilauea, then the Likelike, then many more, he formed a flotilla of interisland carriers and later organized them under the Wilder Steamship Company.

The Wilder organization had strong competition from the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company, which developed from the activities and interests of Captain Thomas R. Foster.

In 1905, the Wilder Steamship Company merged with the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company, forming the largest fleet of steamers serving Hawaiʻi. That company started the first scheduled commercial airplane service in 1929 as Inter-Island Airways and became Hawaiian Airlines in 1941.

His life included politics and King Lunalilo appointed Wilder to the House of Nobles. King Kalākaua later appointed Wilder to his Cabinet, where he served as Minister of the Interior from 1878-1880.

He was a businessman rather than a politician, and his watchword was efficiency and economy in administration. He applied to the business of government the same ability and energetic leadership that won him success in his private business enterprises. (Kuykendall)

Mr. Wilder’s administration of the Department of the Interior was characterized by a well-defined policy of extensive internal improvements. Wilder vigorously pushed forward the construction of roads and bridges with other public conveniences, including the Marine Railway. (Hawaiian Gazette July 31, 1888)

During his term in office that Kulaokahuʻa, the “plains,” between Alapaʻi and Punahou streets mauka of King Street in Honolulu, was opened for settlement. Work on ʻIolani Palace was begun and preliminary railroad surveys were made on the island of Hawaiʻi. Wilder’s influence was felt in all departments of the government. (Kuykendall)

In 1878 Wilder established the first telephone line on Oʻahu, from his government office to his lumber business. King Kalākaua then purchased telephones for ʻIolani Palace. (Charles Dickey in Haiku, Maui had the first phones in the islands (1878;) connecting his home to his store.)

In 1881, Wilder initiated a railroad connecting the Mahukona port with the plantations in North Kohala on the Big Island (Niuliʻi to Mahukona;) he later bought the Kahului Railroad Company.

Wilder was appointed and later elected to the legislative assembly and served as its president. “He was a practical parliamentarian; just, prompt and precise in his rulings combining rare tact with energy in the dispatch of business.” Hawaiian Gazette July 31, 1888)

At this time, the Bayonet Constitution was enacted which created a constitutional monarchy much like that of the United Kingdom – this stripped the King of most of his personal authority and empowered the legislature.

The 1887 constitution made the upper house of the legislature elective and replaced the previous absolute veto allowed to the king to one that two-thirds of the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom could override. Wilder supported the monarchy and told the King that he did not think the monarchy could last much longer. (Kuykendall)

Mr. Wilder had advised the King to enter at once into negotiations with the United States to part with the sovereignty of the country while he was in a position to do so with advantage, and before affairs became more complicated. Kalākaua did not follow the advice given to him by Wilder. (Kuykendall)

King Kalākaua conferred upon Mr. Wilder the distinctions of a Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Kalākaua and Grand Officer of the Royal Order Crown of Hawaiʻi.

“This generous and many-sided man tended with loving care to the deserving, with charitable purpose to the poor and with patriotic conscientiousness to the wants of his country.” (Daily Bulletin August 7, 1888)

The former Kaʻahumanu Wall, from Punchbowl to Mōʻiliʻili, followed a trail which was later expanded and was first called Stonewall Street. It was also known as “Mānoa Valley Road;” later, the route was renamed for Samuel G. Wilder (and continues to be known as Wilder Avenue.)

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Honolulu Harbor Wilder's Steamship Company structure on far right-(HSA)-PP-39-10-026-1890

Honolulu_Harbor_to_Diamond_Head-Wall-Reg1690 (1893)-(portion_development_in_Kulaokahu‘a-and-wetlands_below_in_Kewalo)

Honolulu_Harbor-InteriorDept-Wall-Reg_1119 (1886)-noting_Wilder's_Wharf-Marine_Railway-GoogleEarth

Honolulu_Harbor-Wall-(1893)-noting_Wilder's_Wharf-Marine_Railway-(yellow_line_is_1893_shoreline)

'Marine Railway'-north_end_of_Kakaako-1885

No._2._View_of_Honolulu._From_the_Catholic_church._(c._1854)-Honolulu_to_Waikiki

Railroad from Kahului to Wailuku, Maui-(HSA)-PPBER-2-8-006-1895

Railroad tracks and harbor at Mahukona Landing, Kohala, Hawaii-(HSA)-PP-88-3-025-1882

Wilder_Shipped_Guano_from_Jarvis_Island_here_is_Tramway

February 10, 2020 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Western Wear

The origin of the name for kapa (bark-cloth) is simply ka = the, and pa = beaten, or the beaten thing. It was made with akia, wauke, palaholo, mamaki.

Its earliest and most important use is for clothing; malo: a strip of cloth nine inches wide and nine feet long for the man, and pa‘u for the woman: a strip a little wider and somewhat longer.

In pre-contact Hawai‘i, men wore a ‘maro’ (malo,) “pieces of cloth tied about the loins, and hanging a considerable way down.

The only difference in (women’s) dress, the pā‘ū, was their having a piece of cloth about the body, reaching from near the middle to half-way down the thighs, instead of the maro worn by the other sex.” (Cook’s Journal)

The pā‘ū was wrapped several times around the waist and extended from beneath the woman’s bust (for royalty) or the waistline (for commoners) to the knee (it looked kind of like a hula skirt.)

Following ‘Contact,’ Western Wear Caught On

At daybreak, on November 24, 1816, the ship Rurick faced the coast of Hawai‘i. Captain von Kotzebue had previously been advised of a strong anti-Russian feeling ‘in the air’, as a result of the awkwardly aggressive maneuvers of the Russian (Georg Anton Schäffer) against Kamehameha’s political primacy. (Charlot)

Louis Choris, the official artist on the Rurick, “asked Tammeamea permission to do his portrait; this project seemed to please him very much, but he asked me to leave him alone an instant, so he could dress.”

“Imagine my surprise on seeing this monarch display himself in the costume of a sailor; he wore blue trousers, a red waistcoat, a clean white shirt and a necktie of yellow silk. I begged him to change his dress; he refused absolutely and insisted on being painted as he was.” (Charlot)

From Hawaii, the Rurick went to Oahu for provisioning and repairs, anchoring at Honolulu. An event of its stay was the visit aboard of Kamehameha’s vice-regent for the island, Kalanimoku, and his retinue. (Charlot)

“They immediately recognized Tammeamea’s portrait, and when it became known that we had Tammeamea on paper, we daily received a crowd of visitors who wished to see him.” (Otto von Kotzebue)

Kamehameha obviously preferred western dress, whereas Choris wished to present him in the traditional kapa attire; however, knowing that the western world would be the audience for the artist’s depiction, Kamehameha presented himself as a civilized ruler in western wear. (Mission Houses)

Chiefs in Western Wear – Chiefesses Also Wanted Western Women’s Wear

On October 23, 1819, the Pioneer Company of missionaries left Boston for the Hawaiian Islands. After approximately 160-days at sea, they sighted the Island of Hawai‘i on March 30, 1820 and made their way to Kawaihae that day,

“On the 31st of March, a considerable number of the natives came off to our vessel, from the shores of Kohala, to dispose of their little articles of barter, and to look at the strangers.”

“On the 1st of April, as we were abreast of Kawaihae, Kalanimōku and his wives, and Kalākua (subsequently Hoapiliwahine) and her sister Nāmāhāna (sometimes Opi‘ia), two of the widows of the late king, came oft to us with their loquacious attendants, in their double canoe.”

“As they were welcomed on board, the felicitous native compliment, aloha (good-will, peace, affection), with shaking hands, passed between them, and each member of the mission family, Captain Blanchard and others.”

“Kalanimōku was distinguished from almost the whole nation, by being decently clad. His dress, put on for the occasion, consisted of a white dimity roundabout, a black silk vest, yellow Nankeen pants, shoes, and white cotton hose, plaid cravat, and fur hat.”

The next day, “Kalākua, a widow of Kamehameha, having little sympathy with the Evangelical prophet, and shrewdly aiming to see what the white women could do for her temporal benefit, asked them to make a gown for her in fashion like their own.” (Hiram Bingham)

“Kalākua brought a web of white cambric to have a dress made for herself in the fashion of our ladies, and was very particular in her wish to have it finished while sailing along the western side of the island, before reaching the king.”

“Monday morning April 3d (1820,) the first sewing circle was formed that the sun ever looked down upon in the Hawaiian realm. Kalākua was directress. She requested all the seven white ladies to take seats with them on mats, on the deck of the Thaddeus.”

“The dress was made in the fashion of 1819. The length of the skirt accorded with Brigham Young’s rule to his Mormon damsels, – have it come down to the tops of the shoes. But in the queen’s case, where the shoes were wanting, the bare feet cropped out very prominently.” (Lucy Thurston)

Long Necks

“White men had lived and moved among them for a score of years. In our company were the first white women that ever stepped on these shores.” (Lucy Thurston)

“White women were, as might have been expected, objects of great curiosity to the chattering natives, who thronged around them, as they walked along, to gaze at their costume …”

“… their white hands and faces, running before them and peering under their projecting bonnets, laughing, shouting, trotting around with bare feet, heads and limbs, men, women and children, and singing out occasionally, ‘A-i-oe-oe’ a phrase signifying long, protruding neck.”

“This term they doubtless applied from the appearance occasioned by the large, projecting fore-parts of the bonnets, in the fashion of 1819, so widely different from that of Hawaiian females, whose heads were usually bare, but occasionally ornamented with a simple chaplet of natural flowers, or small feathers.” (Hiram Bingham)

“It was thus the natives described the ladies: ‘They are white and have hats with a spout. Their faces are round and far in. Their necks are long. They look well.’ They were called ‘Long Necks.’ The company of long necks included the whole fraternity.” (Lucy Thurston)

Holokū and Mu‘umu‘u

The missionary wives modified their New England-style dresses to adapt to the hot, humid environment. They replaced the high waistline of Western fashion with a yoke. The end result was a basic design (referred to as a “Mother Hubbard”) which was simply a full, straight skirt attached to a yoke with a high neck and tight sleeves.

The diaries of missionary women report that Hawaiian women who had been Christianized adopted the holokū as daily dress by 1822 and it became standard dress of all Hawaiian women as early as 1838.

“All the women wore the native dress, the sack or holokū, many of which were black, blue, green, or bright rose color, some were bright yellow, a few were pure white, and others were a mixture of orange and scarlet.” (Isabella Bird 1894)

“At first the holokū, which is only a full, yoke nightgown, is not attractive, but I admire it heartily now, and the sagacity of those who devised it. It conceals awkwardness, and befits grace of movement; it is fit for the climate, is equally adapted for walking and riding, and has that general appropriateness which is desirable in costume.” (Isabella Bird, 1894)

The holokū was worn with a loose-fitting undergarment, the mu‘umu‘u (meaning cut-off, shortened.) Eventually, the mu‘umu‘u came to be worn as an outer garment, as well. The muʻumuʻu in the early days was a dress for home wear. It was made full and unfitted with high or low neck and long or short sleeves

It is the more comfortable muʻumuʻu that has challenged the present day designers to create many variations for home, street and party wear. Although it originated in Hawaii in the 1820s as a loose gown without a waistline or train and was worn for everyday wear, the holokū today is a long formal gown with a train.

For formal events, and other celebrations related to Hawaiian culture and ethnicity, the holokū is the quintessential Hawaiian gown. While both holokū and mu‘umu‘u continue to be very important in Hawaii, it is the mu‘umu‘u that is regarded by most of the world as Hawaiian dress and the holokū that is practically unknown outside of Hawai’i.

This is only a summary;Click HERE for more on Western Wear.

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‘King_Kamehameha_I_in_a_Red_Vest’_c._1820-400

Kalanimoku_by_Alphonse_Pellion

Hoapiliwahine_by_C._C._Armstrong-400

Barthélémy_Lauvergne_-_’Princess_Kinau’,_watercolor_and_ink_wash_over_graphite,_1836

Kapa Holoku-MissionHouses

1820s Bonnett

February 9, 2020 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Kanahā Pond

According to archaeologists Tomonari-Tuggle and Welch, changes shown on various maps suggest that the entire coastal area mauka of Kahului Bay was once marsh land, and could have been a natural formation that was only slightly modified by Hawaiians for fish cultivation.

Though their early history and even the actual boundaries of the wetlands to which they belonged are uncertain, we know that the swampy Kahului of old came to an end with the harbor dredging. A network of canals still drains groundwater from beneath the town’s coral-fill foundation.

A pair of fishponds, Kanahā and Mauoni, were located near the coastal area of Kahului Bay (between the present harbor and the airport.) Both Mauoni and Kanahā were naturally occurring, inland freshwater ponds whose shapes were altered by early Hawaiian fishpond builders.

The ponds were used for storing and fattening fish, because Hawaiian kapu prohibited catching or eating fish from the sea during the yearly spawning season. It was permissible, however, to eat fish taken from freshwater ponds.

Mauoni extended to the old County Fairgrounds area, near the present Safeway. Just east of the current harbor facilities is the Kanahā Fishpond, which is said to have been built by Chief Kihapiʻilani, brother-in-law of ‘Umi.

Kihapi‘ilani, a ruling chief of Maui in the early 1700s, was living at Kahului where he “began the transporting of the stones for the walls of the ponds Manoni [Mau‘oni] and Kanahā. He is the one who separated the water of the pond, giving it two names” (Dye).

“The kuapā is still there to this day, but a large portion of it has been lost, covered under the sands flying in the winds.” (Manu in Nupepa Ku Okoa, August 23, 1884, Maly)

According to another tradition, Kapiiohookalani, King of O‘ahu and half of Moloka‘i, “built the banks of kuapa of Kanahā and Mauoni, known as the twin ponds of Kapiioho—for the purpose he used men from Oʻahu and Molokaʻi, as well as those of Maui under his aunt Papaikaniau. “ (Dye)

“Tradition relates that the laborers stood so closely together that they passed the stones from hand to hand … Before the ponds were finished, Kapiioho had been killed by Alapainui of Hawaii at the battle of Kawela, Molokai. He was survived by a daughter Kahamaluihiikeaoihilani and son Kanahāokalani.” (Dye)

During King Kamehameha’s campaign to unify the Hawaiian Islands, the principal military encounter on Maui took place within Kahului Bay, in the area around the pond. For two days, there was constant fighting between the two sides until Kamehameha conquered them with the help of the military expertise and cannons of his western advisors, John Young and Isaac Davis.

It was a bloody battle and by the time it was over, the beach between Kahului and Pāʻia was covered with the canoes and bodies of fallen warriors.

When Kahului Bay was dredged in the early 1900s to deepen the harbor, the material that was removed was dumped on low-lying ground along the shore. In the process, the remains of an ancient fishpond disappeared (like most of the large ponds in the Hawaiian Islands that have been degraded or filled for development.)

Over the years, the Fairgrounds, the Kahului Industrial Area, parts of Dream City and much of commercial Kahului were filled in or dried out – or both – leaving Kanahā Pond just a small patch of a extensive wetland that extended to where Queen Ka’ahumanu Center was built.

Since the turn of the twentieth century, the pond has functioned primarily as a waterfowl and shorebird sanctuary.

Before the Second World War, Kanahā Pond was owned by the Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company. During the War, the HC&S donated the land, which included Kanahā Pond, to the US Navy.

In 1951 the Hawaiian government formally designated the pond as a bird refuge. The pond is home to two endangered species – the Hawaiian Stilt and the Hawaiian Coot, as well as providing sanctuary to many migrant shorebirds and waterfowl.

In 1959 the state legislature appropriated funds to improve the habitat and the Maui County government appointed a Citizens Advisory Committee.

More funding was obtained, and in 1961 the state legislature made long-term plans which included bird-feeding stations, observation areas and a picnic area, as well as an experimental dredging to try to eliminate the offensive odor, which manifested itself during the summer months.

Due to the continued destruction of many of Hawai’i’s wetland areas Kanahā Pond was designated a registered natural landmark in late 1971 by the Department of the Interior, one of only two such sites registered at the time.

Kanahā Pond provides one of the most important waterbird habitat in Hawaiʻi. It is one of the few remaining brackish-water ecosystems, providing refuge for both resident and migratory bird populations.

The pond and surrounding area are within the Kahului Airport jurisdiction. DOT has set the land aside for public recreation and wildlife purposes. Even though it is habitat for local and migratory birds (not the best of neighbors of airports,) since 1973, DOT and FAA have allowed construction of protective moats and nesting places, improvement of observation shelters and occasional dredging.

Today, the pond provides opportunities to see Hawaiian Stilts and Hawaiian Coots and other waterbirds from a small concrete observation area, which is located just off from the parking lot. The refuge is open all year and there are no entrance fees.

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Kahului Naval Air Station - 1945-(Kanaha_pond-circled)

Kahului_Bay-and-mauka-Makalena-DAGS-(Reg0180)-1866-(note_ponds-mauka-of-Bay)

Kahului_Harbor-Jackson-DAGS-(Reg1326)-1881

Maui-Dodge-DAGS-(Reg1268)-1885-portion-(note-pond-near-coast-at-Kahului)

Kahului_Harbor-(UH_Manoa)-(t4465)-1929-(portion)-(showing_Kanaha_Pond)

February 8, 2020 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Cyclomere

The lead line, “Bicycle racing in Honolulu has come to stay,” in the February 8, 1898 issue of the Hawaiian Gazette was more wishful thinking than reality.

Charles Desky opened the track in 1897, and it closed the following year; it was located on the makai side of what we now call Kapiʻolani Boulevard, between Cooke Street and Ward Avenue.

“The Cyclomere track at Honolulu is three laps to the mile, scientifically constructed, and the surface is of decomposed coral, the finish being somewhat similar to merit.”

“Mr. Desky says that the people there are very enthusiastic over cycle racing, and at previous meets held on a poor track and with inferior accommodations for the people the attendance has been immense.” (San Francisco Call, October 14, 1897)

Races were held at night, with illumination from 23 arc lights on poles. A spectator grandstand was 150-feet long by 34-feet wide, 11 tiers of seats and 12 private boxes in front. (Krauss)

“The opening of the new cycle racing track at Honolulu next month has attracted the attention of California riders, and three of the most prominent will leave for there this afternoon on the steamer Moana, accompanied by a trick rider.” (San Francisco Call, October 14, 1897)

“The races at the islands will be conducted under special sanction from the California Associated Cycling Clubs, which was necessary before the racing board would let the men go from here.” (San Francisco Call, October 14, 1897)

“Cyclomere Bicycle Track was opened most auspiciously on Saturday. Although the elements wore an ominous aspect at times, the worst they gave was an occasional sprinkle. Between 800 and 1000 people were in the grand stand in the afternoon, and half as many more in the evening. “

“The circle of arc and incandescent electric lights surrounding the tract, reflected in Cyclomere Lake around which the track is built, made a wonderfully beautiful night scene. (Evening Bulletin, October 25, 1897)

“It had been a hope of mine from the time I started operations in Kewalo that Cyclomere could be kept as a place of resort. There is nothing finer of the kind in any country. The people to a large extent seemed to think the same,” said Charles Desky. (Hawaiian Gazette – April 8, 1898)

Desky initially looked to a hui of five to take a long-term lease on the facility and keep it going. However, a newspaper account in May, 1898 noted there would be no more racing at Cyclomere, so far as the hui of town boys was concerned.

“They are now filling the lake of the Cyclomere Park which comprises about 10 acres and when completed will be laid out in lots, and lies mauka of the Queen street car line. This tract is part of the original Kewalo purchase.”

“Mr. Desky is manager of Bruce Waring & Company, who control the real estate business on the Island. Their offices are located in the Progress block.” (Pacific Commercial, August 13, 1898)

In 1900, the pond that surrounded the racing bicycle track at Cyclomere in the Kewalo area was filled. Desky dumped the banks of the track into the lake, piled more dirt in and set out to sell lots for residences.

Desky saw that as more financially lucrative, particularly since it is became known that the Iron Works was going to that neighborhood.

However, Desky didn’t fare as well with the former Cyclomere site. Facing foreclosure, “Sensational developments have transpired in connection with one of the earliest land operations by Charles Desky in Honolulu.”

After selling 29 lots, it was learned that Desky did not pay the underlying mortgage down from the sale proceeds, saying he needed the money for other purposes. It eventually was cleared up in court.

Selling lots was nothing new for Charles Desky. In 1899 the Pacific Heights road was laid out by Mr. Wall, and sold by Hawaii’s first subdivider, a Mr. Desky. (One historian has called Desky “Hawaii’s first subdivider,” and noted that “Desky pulled several shady land transactions.”)

By 1900, Honolulu had a population of more than 39,000 and was in the midst of a development boom, creating tremendous need for more housing.

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February 6, 2020 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Baked Fresh In Hawaiʻi

“The American missionaries of 1820 appear to have been the first to bake bread in Hawaii. Flour which they had brought with them around the Horn, and that which replenished their supplies at irregular intervals, was invariably caked solid so that the barrels had to be sawed apart into blocks for distribution to various mission families.”

“The flour was then pounded into a powder and sifted to eliminate the inevitable weevils. The stone cook house which adjoins the old mission house in Honolulu still stands as a reminder of primitive cooking and baking.” (Love’s)

Then came Robert Love, a baker and a native of Glasgow, Scotland, who arrived in the Islands and his wife and family on June 19, 1851.

Less than a month later, on July 12, 1851, the Ministry of the Interior issued Robert Love a retail store license permitting him to operate a bakery and sell its products. In 1853 Robert Love purchased property on Nuʻuanu and Pauahi Streets and opened the first Love’s bakery there.

During the 1850s, the principal income of the bakers of Honolulu – including Love’s Bakery – came from re-baking ships’ bread which had become unfit for use during long voyages, and from re-provisioning ships’ stores with hard biscuits known as hardtack, pilot bread or navy bread.

A decade later, Love developed the Saloon Pilot cracker by adding shortening to the hardtack recipe. And, as the name suggests, this new delicacy could be served in the captain’s mess. It remains a crowd favorite.

Robert died July 11, 1858; sons Robert Love Jr. and James Love were the administrators of the Estate of Robert Love. The family continued to run the business, with Robert Jr, following his father’s training, taking the lead. (Robert Jr also served on the Fire Department’s Engine Company No. 2.) William died on December 12, 1878 and the remaining brothers split his share in the company.

James retired from the business and sold his interest to his brother in 1883. Robert Jr. died later that year and his wife, Fanny, took over responsibilities of the bakery and their eldest son, James Henry, was working and learning the business, occasionally under the name Fanny Love’s Bakery.

August 23, 1884, fire destroyed the bakery and by the end of the year it was “restored in handsome, substantial form … brick building.” (Daily Bulletin, February 5, 1885)

Tragedy nearly struck again in 1886. The Chinatown Fire of that year started just down the road from them on the corner of Hotel Street and Smith’s Lane. While the 1886 blaze destroyed eight blocks of Chinatown, their property was saved.

“A vacant lot between this (burning buildings) and the bakery proved a valuable neighbor to that establishment, the bakery suffering but little damage, being at work again next morning.” (Daily Bulletin, April 30, 1886) It was spared in the 1900 bubonic plague Chinatown fires, as well.

In 1900, Love’s purchased L Andrade Bakery. After the turn of the century, the operation was organized under a corporation, Robert Love Estate, Limited, and the family continued to run the business known as “Love’s Bakery.”

Since 1915, the company was known as “Love’s Biscuit and Bread Company” (which became its legal name in 1941.)

On March 19, 1924, Love’s built a new bakery in the Iwilei district, on what was known as the Oʻahu Prison property. The formal opening of the new bread-making plant was held on March 19. While the original Nuʻuanu site continued to produce all types of baked goods, the new Iwilei plant produced only bread and rolls.

When Robert Love founded his bakery in 1851, commercial yeast was unknown. In fact, the manufacture of yeast in the United States on a commercial scale did not occur until nearly twenty years later. Love’s Bakery, alert to the newest and best developments in the baking industry, was an early user of commercial yeast and in October of 1926, Fleischmann’s Yeast selected Love’s as their Honolulu representative. (Love’s)

In 1929 the decision was made to concentrate the company’s entire efforts on the wholesale business and three years later all operations were consolidated at the Iwilei plant (January 28, 1932.)

In July, 1943 the company opened a new plant at 836 Kapahulu Avenue. (This is now the site of the Kapahulu Shopping Center – anchored by Safeway.) Their 144-foot-long oven baked bread at the rate of more than 8,000-loaves an hour.

In 1968, the company was purchased by ITT Continental Baking Company. In 1981 Love’s Bakery was purchased again, this time by First Baking Co., Ltd. of Japan and the company’s name became Daiichiya-Love’s Bakery.

In 1990 the bakery moved from its Kapahulu site to its present site on Middle Street. And in 2008 ownership of the bakery returned home to Hawaiʻi when local management purchased the company from First Baking Co – the name changed back to Love’s Bakery.

Loves Bakery produces 206 varieties of bread, 70 varieties of buns and rolls, and 14 varieties of cakes; the company’s brands include Love’s and Roman Meal.

Love’s distributes about 400,000 loaves of bread each week; Bread brands include Love’s, Roman Meal and Country Hearth; Pastry brands include Little Debbies, Mrs. Freshleys, Mary Ann’s Danishes, Bon Appetit, Cloverhill Snack Cakes, Bubba’s Bagels and Bubba’s English Muffins.

Love’s sends about 36,000 pounds of bread products daily to the Neighbor Islands, which represents about 40 percent of the company’s business.

Love’s also has seven thrift store outlets throughout the islands. For more than 160 years, generations of Hawaii families have loved Love’s baked fresh in Hawaii products.

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