Images of Old Hawaiʻi

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Historic Downtown Hilo Walking Tour

Where the Wailuku River meets Hilo Bay on the eastern side of Hawaiʻi’s Big Island is the town of Hilo, Hawaiʻi.  Hilo was a major center of trade in ancient Hawaiʻi, where native Hawaiians came to trade with others across the Wailuku River.

Westerners were attracted by the bay which provided a safe harbor; missionaries settled in the town in 1824 bringing Christian influences.

As the sugar industry grew in the late-1800s, so did Hilo. It became the major center for shipping, shopping and weekend diversions.

The Hilo Downtown Improvement Association (DIA) is a non-profit organization established in 1962 to preserve and revitalize Hilo’s historic district.

The DIA serves as a collaborative, community voice that works to promote, support, and sustain the history, culture, environment, and economy of the area.

One program is the Historic Downtown Hilo Walking Tour.  This self-guided walking tour of historic Downtown Hilo will take about one hour if walked continuously.

The twenty-one stops along the way provide information about the town from 1870 to the present. The history of Hilo begins much earlier, however, with the arrival of the Polynesians in 1100 AD.

They eventually inhabited the shores of Hilo Bay, farmed their crops, fished, and traded their goods with each other along the Wailuku River. Changes came to this lifestyle upon the arrival of missionaries who brought with them new ideas, education and Christianity.

Hilo became a stopping place for explorers curious about the active volcanoes, whaling ships, and traders. By the 1900s a number of wharves had been constructed, the breakwater was begun, and a new railroad system designated Hilo as the center of commerce.

Two destructive tsunamis in 1946 and 1960 caused a shift in the location of Hilo’s government and commercial life.

Today, new and old businesses alike are meeting the challenges of revitalizing our city center while preserving its historic cultural character.  (Lots of information here from Hilo Downtown Improvement Association (DIA.))

Here are the list of stops on the walking tour:

1 Moʻoheau Park Mass Transit Bus Terminal – Visitor Information Center
The Moʻoheau Bus Terminal, central station for the Hele-On bus system, is home to the Visitor Information Center. Here the helpful staff can provide you with information on accommodations, activities and dining in East Hawai’i as well as maps, brochures and bus schedules. It’s also Headquarters for the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association.

2 Farmers Market
Conceived and developed in 1988 by Richard “Mike” Rankin, the Hilo Farmers Market had a humble beginning with only four farmers who sold their goods from their parked cars and trucks. Today, the market has grown to over 200 vendors selling everything from fresh island fruits and vegetables to locally grown tropical flowers, special Big Island food products, handmade craft items and beautiful gifts made with Aloha.

3 S Hata Building
Built by the Hata family in 1912, this is another example of renaissance revival architecture in Hilo.  It has now been remodeled to house restaurants, shops, and professional office space. In the building, The National Oceanographic Institute has constructed the Mokupāpapa to interpret the natural science, culture, and history of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and surrounding marine environment.

4 AOF Building – Ancient Order of Foresters
This building is still used by the Ancient Order of Foresters, a group whose European origins were chartered to assist members during times of need. King Kalākaua was a member of this fraternal order. The building was constructed in 1925 in the renaissance revival style with arched entryways, balconies and col-umns used for decorative purposes.

5 Taishoji Soto Mission
Archbishop Mokusen Hioki, from Eiheiji monastery in Japan, visited Hawaii after the completion of the World Buddhist Conference in San Francisco, California in 1915. He found many immigrants eager to establish a Soto Zen Temple. He gathered the followers together at a meeting in Hilo and promised to send a Zen priest from Japan.  Money was raised from the newly formed membership and property was purchased for $5,500. The first half was paid on Jan 8th, 1917. A contractor was hired and the cornerstone with the inscription of the Hannyashingyo Sutra was laid in April 1918.

6 Central Christian Church
Haili Street at one time was called Church Street because there were five churches along its route. Today three re-main, one of which is Central Christian Church. It was built for the Portuguese speaking community in the early 1900’s. The two buildings on the property look much the way they did when they were built.

7 Haili Church
The first church building, a large grass canoe shed provided by the local chiefs, was completed and dedicated on May 19, 1824 near the site of the present Hilo Iron Works. The present structure, started in 1854, was completed and dedicated on April 8, 1859. On July 15, 1979, fire destroyed the tower, ceiling and some of the interior of this building. The restored church was rededicated on June 1, 1980.

8 St Joseph Church
The first chapel located on bayfront was made from pili grass and was called Saint Martin de Tours. Father Charles Pouzot, SCC became the first pastor of the parish in 1845. By 1848 the small grass chapel was replaced by a new wooden structure. In 1862 the parish of St. Martin de Tours had once again outgrown its place of worship. A new larger church was built in the area of Kalākaua Park on Keawe and Waiānuenue Avenue. On July 9, 1862 Bishop Louis Maigret, Bishop of Honolulu dedicated the new church to Saint Joseph. Later, Father Beissell purchased the property on the corner of Kapiʻolani and Haili Streets in 1915. The large community of active faithful including, among others, Hawaiian and Portuguese families worked together to build their new church. The cornerstone was laid in 1917 and the church was dedicated at its present location in February 1919.

9 Lyman Museum & Mission House
The Lyman Museum began as the Lyman Mission House, originally built for New England missionaries David and Sarah Lyman in 1839. The original Lyman House was a “Cape Cod” type with a high, steep pitched thatched roof with dormers making up the second floor. The second floor was divided into sleeping quarters for some of the Lyman’s eight children. The Rev. and Mrs. Lyman were also founding members of the First Foreign Church, a church established in 1868 for the foreign residents of Hilo. The Lyman Mission House is the oldest standing wood structure on the Island of Hawai`i and one of the oldest in the State.

10 Library/Naha Stone
Traditions tell us that the Naha Stone, the larger stone, was brought by canoe from the chiefly valley of Wailua on Kauai to Hilo many centuries ago. The stone resided at one of several heiau (temples) in the Hilo area and was said to have been associated with traditions of affirming chiefly status. Young aliʻi (royalty) infants were placed alone on the stone. If they did not cry they were said to be of high royal status. The physical ability to move the massive stone was also seen as a sign of high chiefly capacity. The young aliʻi Kamehameha was known to have confirmed the prophecy that he would become a great warrior king by moving the stone while he was in his early 20s. The Pinao Stone, the upright stone, has less certain origins but is associated with the former Pinao Heiau that once stood on or near the site of this State Library. These two great stones are associated with sacred Hawaiian traditions and are held in high cultural esteem by Hawaii’s people. Please do not sit or climb on the stones.

11 Federal Building/Post Office
The Federal Building located across the street from the north end of the park. Designed by architect Henry Whitfield, it is typical of the early 20th Century government buildings. Today, it houses government offices, including the downtown branch of the United States Post Office. The original structure was built in 1919, and the two wings were added in 1936.

12 Kalākaua Square
Hilo became a visiting place of the king who designed the first county complex at this site in the late 19th Century. The park contains a sundial bearing the inscription. “This sundial was erected in the Fourth Year of the reign of King Kalākaua, A.D. 1877, Hilo, Hawaiʻi.” The trees in the park were planted during King Kalākaua’s time, making them over one hundred years old.

13 East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center
Originally the old Police Station, it was vacated by the Hilo County Police Department in 1975. Today, it is the home of the East Hawaii Cultural Center. The building resembles a Hawaiian hale (house) of the 1800s with its hipped roof. It is operated by the East Hawai’i Cultural Council, a coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to preserving cultural, creative and traditional arts in Hawai’i, to foster community involvement with culture and the arts; and to coordinate activities and resources among East Hawai’i arts and cultural community. The Council was founded in 1967 with six charter organizations reflecting Hilo’s multi-ethnic heritage.

14 Hawaiian Telephone Building
CW Dickey is credited with developing Hawaiian Regional Architecture in the early 20th Century. Note the high-hipped, green tile roof and the brightly colored terra cotta tiles set in the building.

15 Burns and the Pacific Buildings
These wooden buildings are typical of many in Hilo constructed in the early part of the 20th Century. The simple style that emerged is now very special to Hawai’i.

16 Kaikodo Building – Hilo Masonic Lodge
Hilo Masonic Lodge Hall, also known as the Bishop Trust Building, is a historic structure in Hilo, Hawaii. Constructed between 1908 and 1910, it was designed to house commercial space on the ground floor and a meeting hall for a local Masonic lodge on the second floor. In 1985, the Masons moved to new premises, and since then the second floor has been rented to a variety of tenants.  Kaikodo Restaurant was here.

17 Koehnen’s Building
It was originally built for the Hackfield Company in 1910, with interior walls of koa and floors of ʻōhiʻa woods. The Koehnen’s bought the building in 1957 and today the family operates a store which sells fine furniture, gift items, silver and china.

18 Kaipalaoa Landing Wharf
Between 1863 and 1890 wharves were built at the foot of Waianuenue Avenue where passengers and freight were transported between the wharf and steamers anchored in the bay.

19 Pacific Tsunami Museum
This sturdy concrete building with its parapet, fluted columns and wrought iron design was built in 1930. It survived both the 1946 and 1960 tsunami and is now a museum chronicling the history of Big Island tsunamis and the resulting reconstruction of the city. The Pacific Tsunami Museum embarked on a project with the County of Hawai’i Planning Department to assess and assist businesses with their tsunami preparation and planning.

20 SH Kress Co Building
When it opened in 1932, floral designs, batwing shapes, and the terra cotta front contributed to introducing a new kind of architecture Art Deco. The interior of the store offered many shopping conveniences including wide aisles, good lighting, and a popular soda fountain.

21 Palace Theater
The Palace was built and opened in 1925 at the peak of the heyday for American movie palaces. It was originally part of a small family of theaters owned and operated by Adam C Baker, a dashing Hawaiian gentleman who was the nephew of the last royal governors of the island of Hawai’i. Adam Baker had been involved in the theater business since the early 1900s and was a well-known showman in Hawai’i. The Palace was built on a scale that had never been seen outside of the capital city of Honolulu, and it was always the grandest theater on all the neighbor islands.

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Memorial Park

Memorials are an important way of remembering. They are not just part of the past; they help shape attitudes in the present and thus act as a guide for the future. (Ireland)

According to statistician Robert Schmitt, of the 9,800 Hawai‘i residents who served in World War I: 102 died – 14 overseas during the war, 61 in Hawai‘i or North America or after the armistice, and 27 in unknown circumstances.

Twenty-two of the 102 recorded deaths occurred among Island residents serving with the British. Actual battle deaths of persons in the US armed forces whose preservice residence was Hawai’i numbered six: seven others were wounded.
(Ireland)

As early as March, 1918, the Daughters and Sons of Hawaiian Warriors proposed the erection of a shaft of Hawaiian lava with polished sides, on which would be carved the names of all the island boys who gave up their lives in their country’s cause during the Great War.

In November, just after the signing of the armistice, a similar suggestion was made by Colonel Howard Hathaway, his idea being that a monument should be raised by public subscription and be made a feature of the civic center in Honolulu.

The suggestion was taken up by the Honolulu Ad Club, which on November 20, 1918, appointed a committee consisting of Colonel Hathaway, Ned Loomis, and WD Westervelt to make an investigation and confer with other organizations in the city on the subject. (Kuykendall, 1928)

A bill passed with practical unanimity by the legislature for the acquisition, for park and other public purposes, of the William G Irwin Waikiki beach property using Territorial bonds. It received the approval of the governor on April 29, 1919. The act provided that the name of any park created out of the property should be ‘Memorial Park.’

Governor McCarthy, at the suggestion of the American Legion, appointed A. Lester Marks, John R. Gait, and A. L. C. Atkinson as members of the Territorial War Memorial Commission (when Atkinson left the Islands 2-3 years later, JK Butler was named to the Commission.)

“This Commission shall serve without pay and shall make arrangements for and conduct an architectural competition for the design of the memorial provided for in this Act, and shall decide upon and designate the scheme of memorial to be adopted.”

“These plans shall include a swimming course at least 100 meters in length, and such other features as the Commission may designate.” (Senate Committee Report, March 3, 1921)

The competition was held under the general rules of the American Institute of Architects. Three architects, Bernard Maybeck of San Francisco, Ellis F Lawrence of Portland and WRB Willcox of Seattle, were selected to judge the competition.

“In the competitive designs for Hawai‘i’s War Memorial to be erected at Kapiʻolani Park, of the seven submitted by local and mainland architects, the award of first choice and prize went to Mr Louis P Hobart, of San Francisco.” (Thrum, 1922)

“The design was approved and highly commended by architects of national and international standing. They considered it to be most appropriate, and especially in keeping with the tropical and architectural atmosphere of Hawaii.”

“We should not at this time hesitate to establish in enduring form our tribute to the self-sacrifice, courage and patriotism of those who answered the call to service in the day of national emergency.”

“It has been a source of regret that interest in this enterprise has seemingly lagged. I trust that the construction of the first unit will be a signal for renewed enthusiasm to guarantee the completing of the whole project.” (Governor Farrington, 1927)

The construction contract was awarded to JL Cliff; an incentive to speedy completion of the project for the Hawaiian Association of the Amateur Athletic Union featuring the National Senior Men’s Outdoor Championships for 1927 and at which thirteen mainland and nine Hawaiian clubs, as well as a team from Japan, competed.

While the entire contract was not completed by the day set for the opening of the meet (August 24, 1927) it was far enough along so that the swimming pool could be used. In the evening of that day, the natatorium, constituting the first unit of Hawaii’s war memorial, was formally dedicated with a program arranged by the American Legion.

Duke Kahanamoku, Hawai‘i’s greatest swimming champion, gave a 100-meter freestyle exhibition swim (it was Duke’s 37th birthday.) The national swimming championships then started and during this and the three following evenings the best swimmers of the United States and Japan tested the quality of the swimming pool. (Kuykendall, 1928)

Tickets for the swim meet were expensive ($1.10 for reserved seating and 25-50¢ for general admission), but 6,000 spectators created a massive traffic jam in Waikiki the first night of competition.

The big draw was a race pitting the world sprint champion Johnny Weissmuller, who beat Duke Kahanamoku in the 1924 Paris Olympics, against Japan’s Katsuo “Flying Fish” Takaishi (Weissmuller won with a new world record of 58 seconds.)

The star of the evening, however, turned out to be Hawai‘i’s Clarence ‘Buster’ Crabbe who won the one-mile swim in 21 minutes 52.25 seconds. (HawaiiHistory)

Hopefully, the Natatorium can be repaired and used; the status quo will result in demolition by neglect.

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Maunalei Sugar

In ancient times, the windward coast of the island of Lānai was home to many native residents. Maunalei Valley had the only perennial stream on the island and a system of loʻi kalo (taro pond field terraces) supplied taro to the surrounding community.

Sheltered coves, fronted by a barrier reef, provided the residents with access to important fisheries, and allowed for the development of loko iʻa (fishponds), in which various species of fish were cultivated, and available to native tenants, even when the ocean was too rough for the canoes to venture out to sea. (Lānai Culture and Heritage Center)

In 1861, Walter Murray Gibson came to Hawaiʻi after joining the Mormon Church the year before; he was to serve as a missionary and envoy of the Mormon Church to the peoples of the Pacific. He landed in Lānai and eventually created the title “Chief President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Islands of the Sea.” He more regularly went by the name Kipikona.

The experience with the Church was relatively short-lived; in 1864, he was excommunicated for selling priesthood offices, defrauding the Hawaiian members and misusing his ecclesiastical authority (in part, he was using church funds to buy land in his name.)

By the 1870s, Gibson focused his interests in ranching in the area called Koele, situated in a sheltered valley in the uplands of Kamoku Ahupuaʻa. As the ranch operation was developed, Koele was transformed from an area of traditional residency and sustainable agriculture to the ranch headquarters. (Lānai Culture and Heritage Center) In 1872, Gibson moved from Lānai to Lāhainā and then to Honolulu.

After Gibson’s death in 1888, the ranch was turned over to his daughter and son-in-law, Talula and Frederick Hayselden. As early as 1896, the Gibson-Hayselden interests on Lānai, which held nearly all the land on the island in fee-simple or leasehold title, began developing a scheme to plant and grow sugar on Lānai.

They chose the ancient fishing community of Keōmoku for the base of operations, and in early-1899, the Maunalei Sugar Company was formally incorporated. Gear, Lansing & Co was the largest stockholder (Gear was President, Lansing was Treasurer – W Stodart was the plantation manager)

“The plan is that a sugar company will be incorporated at once with a capital of $1,000,000 and that 1,000 acres will be put into cane without delay. There will be no “wildcat” business in the enterprise and all persons signing for shares will be obliged to put down 10 percent of the amount desired. It is the intention of the promoters to avoid gambling in Lanai stocks as much as possible.” (Gear & Lansing, The Independent, February 28, 1899)

They developed larger support communities along the coast, cleared the lands, developed a narrow gauge railroad between Keōmoku Village and Kahalepalaoa (where the boat landing was situated,) and planted sugar cane, irrigated by water from Maunalei Valley.

“At the landing a very substantial wharf has been built, and a railroad to the camp two miles distant is in operation with a rolling stock of a locomotive and nineteen cars. Including the laborers quarters we have at the plantation fifty buildings, and the new buildings in contemplation are the pumping plants and the mill, a very respectable town and a very busy one.” (Stodart in Evening Bulletin, October 13, 1899)

Work on the plantation was largely done by immigrant Japanese laborers. “We have 400 laborers … and will have 200 more in a few weeks. The first crop will be ready to grind in 1901 and I have no doubt the yield per acre will be entirely satisfactory. The land is proving all that was promised and I have no doubt of the substantial returns to the stockholders.” (Stodart in Evening Bulletin, October 13, 1899)

Both men and women were brought from Japan, and a finder’s fee of $27- $36 per male employee, and $23 – $30 per female employee was paid to the immigration companies. Laborers were typically paid around $0.70 to $0.75 per day, with expenses for merchandise and board deducted from pay at the end of the month.

All did not go as planned.

Before completing the construction of the mill and associated facilities, and prior to the first harvest being collected for processing, the Maunalei Sugar Company went bankrupt. Sugar is a thirsty crop and the necessary water resources for the plantation were never realized.

Additional hardships arose following an outbreak of the bubonic plague in Honolulu, which led to a devastating fire and the closure of many Chinatown businesses (many of whom had invested in the Lānai sugar operation.)

But those were not the major shareholders’ only financial concerns. A heading “Business Concern is in Difficulties” called attention to the financial problems of Gear, Lansing & Company; a sub-heading notes, “Failure of Maunalei Sugar Co. a Leading Factor in the Corporation’s Trouble Kaimukī and Other Large Real Estate Transactions”. (Honolulu Republican, June 19, 1901)

The story noted, “The corporation has, since its organization a few years ago, dealt heavily in real estate, besides participating largely in the boom of general stocks that two years ago strained the entire financial situation.”

“Gear, Lansing & Co.’s largest real estate deal was the exploitation of the Kaimukī residence tract. They laid out streets and installed a modern water works plant. A large proportion of the lots sold readily, but the hope deferred of rapid transit communication prevented a full measure of, success to the enterprise.”

Plantation records during the three year period of the plantation’s operation, some 70 employees (most of Japanese origin) died and were buried on Lānai. In 1932, members of the Lānai Hongwanji Mission built a memorial for Japanese employees of the sugar plantation near the grave sites.

Some other unfortunate consequences resulted from the Lānaʻi sugar endeavor. A part of the plantation’s work resulted in the introduction of the algarroba (kiawe) tree – the hardwood was to have been used as fuel for the furnaces, and the seeds as feed for the livestock. Left untended, the trees became an invasive pest on the island.

Following the sugar failure, Keōmoku was used as ranchland until 1954. The nearly 3,000 acres of cleared land led to significant erosion and siltation that spread from the uplands to the shore, burying sites and the reef under as much as nine feet of silt. (Lānai Culture and Heritage Center)

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Kapalua

The traditional district (moku) of Kāʻanapali consisted of five major stream valleys (Honokōwai, Kahana, Honokahua, Honolua and Honokōhau), all of which were extensively terraced for wet taro (loʻi) in early historic and later times.

Honokahua Valley has been described as having wet taro (loʻi) lands, although not in great abundance; sweet potatoes were reportedly grown between Honokōhau and Kahakuloa Ahupuaʻa, presumably on lower kula lands.  The Kahana Ahupuaʻa was known as a place of salt gathering for the people of Lāhainā.

The Kāʻanapali District is noted for an alaloa (a path or trail) that reportedly encircled the entire island. Walker wrote: “The north end of Maui also is traversed by a paved trail. Sections of it can be seen from Honolua to Honokōhau to Kahakuloa. It is paved with beach rocks and has a width of four to six feet.”  (PBR)

There are six bays located on Maui’s west shore whose names begin with the word Hono. These bays and coves are collectively known as Hono a Piʻilani.  From South to North, six of the identified bays are Honokōwai (bay drawing fresh water), Honokeana (cave bay), Honokahua (sites bay,) Honolua (two bays), Honokōhau (bay drawing dew) and Hononana (animated bay).

Kapalua Resort is situated along this coast between Honokeana and Honolua.  (Kapalua loosely translates as “arms embracing the sea”.)

After seventeen years of service, Dr Dwight Baldwin was granted 2,675-acres, the lands of the Mahinahina and Kahana ahupuaʻa, for farming and grazing. From that base, new lands were acquired until the holdings, known as Honolua Ranch, reached 24,500 acres in 1902.

First starting as Honolua Ranch (1912,) then Baldwin Packers (1914,) this area was home to the largest producer of private label pineapple and pineapple juice in the nation.

After mergers and other name changes, in 1969, Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc (ML&P) was created; then, the largest employer on the island of Maui.

In 1974, ML&P carved out 1,650-acres of its nearly 22,000-acres to form a wholly-owned subsidiary, Kapalua Land Company.  That year, the master-planned community that makes up the Kapalua Resort (with five white sand beaches) was approved by Maui County.

In 1978, the Kapalua Bay Hotel opened, beginning the change of the former ranch and pineapple lands at Honokahua into a world-class destination resort complex.

In 1987, during the excavation and construction of the Ritz Carlton hotel within the Kapalua Resort, hundreds of native Hawaiian burials were discovered on the planned hotel site.

The scope of the burial site, combined with growing Native Hawaiian consciousness, mobilized protesters.  Native Hawaiians and supporters rallied at Honokahua, and in late-1988 at the state Capitol, finally halting the burial disturbance. The hotel was built farther inland.  (Honolulu Advertiser)

The Hui Alanui O Makena filed for a contested case hearing; eventually a plan was devised in September 1989 for the proper reburial of more than 900-native Hawaiian bodies disinterred.  (Aoude)

Associated with that, the state paid $6-million for a perpetual preservation easement and restoration of the burial site.  A 14-acre site is now a historical and cultural landmark.

In addition, as a result of this, Hawaiʻi’s burial treatment law, passed in 1990, gives unmarked burials, most of which are Native Hawaiian, the same protection as modern cemeteries.

In 1988, Kapalua began management programs, under a management agreement with The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi, for the protection of the Pu‘u Kukui Preserve in the West Maui Mountains.  (Access to the Preserve is restricted by ML&P.)

Now, Kapalua includes The Ritz-Carlton, the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay, the Kapalua Spa, eight residential subdivisions, two championship golf courses (The Bay and The Plantation,) ten-court tennis facilities, several restaurants, and over 800 condominiums, single-family homes and residential lots.  (In 2006, the Kapalua Bay Hotel was taken down.)

Kapalua serves as the home of two of Maui’s longest running signature events, the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival and the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

The intent of the Kapalua Resort was to provide a luxurious resort atmosphere removed from the Lāhainā-Kāʻanapali area.  With that, it serves as an example of a low-key, low-density destination resort community.

A public coastal trail was incorporated into the Resort; eventually, the trail will be approximately 3.5-miles in length, running from Lower Honoapiʻilani Road through the Kapalua Resort to Honolua Bay.

Future components of the Kapalua Land Company in and around Kapalua Resort include Kapalua Mauka (640- residential units, commercial space and up to 27 holes of golf on a total of 800 acres;) the Village at Kapalua (a central commercial component;) and Pulelehua (a new traditional community for working families in West Maui.)

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Parker Ranch Manager’s House

“The early Waimea inhabitants resided typically within a pā hale (fenced house lot) with a sleeping house and adjacent protected cooking facility. The pā pōhaku (stone wall) surrounded the pā hale, and likely included within was a kīhāpai (garden).”

“The farming plot (‘apana) of the householder was located elsewhere within the agricultural zone of the respective ahupua’a. (Bergin; Windy McElroy)

“[I]n the Native Register, a man named Paukeaho lists a claim (#4513) for his house lot, and upland garden (‘āina mahi mauka) in Keanuiomano, an `ili near Haleaha.”

“In his claim Paukeaho states that are two gardens of taro ‘in the forest of this land (Native Testimony LCA 4513)’.  In the Native Testimony, the konohiki William Beckley testified that he has seen the house lot in his `ili land at Keanuiomano …”

“… and, while he agrees to ‘give’ Paukeaho the land that he has previously cultivated, Beckley testifies that he has ‘never known its boundaries (Native Testimony).’” (Michael Vitousek)

“The impacts of cattle on the habitation structures is shown indirectly in Paukeaho’s claim (Native Register #4513) which states that the house lot he has acquired from the konohiki William Beckley is enclosed in a stone wall (pa pohaku).  The stone wall was likely built to prevent damage from free-ranging herds of cattle.”

“There are numerous accounts in the Native Testimony and Native Register about fenced off, walled off house lots, or the desire on the part of the native tenants to fence or wall off their house lots in the future”. (Michael Vitousek)

A modern structure was built here.  The oldest part was built around 1885 and was first used as an Episcopal Church. (Wai‘ula‘ula Watershed Management Plan) Since the turn of the century this white house was the Parker Ranch manager’s house.

John Palmer Parker married Kipikane, the granddaughter of King Kamehameha. They had two sons, John II and Ebenezer, and a daughter, Mary Ann Kaulalani Parker. (Tracy)

When John died in 1868, he willed half of the Parker property each to son John II and grandson Samuel Parker (son of Ebenezer – Ebenezer died in 1855). In 1879, John II purchased the “Hawaiian Victorian” mansion, Puuopelu.

Originally built in 1862 by Englishman Charles Notley, Puuopelu became the heart of Parker Ranch. (This is not the white house that is the subject of this summary.)  (Paniolo Preservation Society)

John II adopted Samuel’s son John III to be heir of his half of the Ranch; John III married Elizabeth Jane Lanakila Dowsett but died shortly after his daughter, Annie Thelma Kahilu‘onāpua‘api‘ilani Parker, was born and his half of the estate was put in trust for their daughter, Thelma. (Tracy)

In 1879, John II purchased the “Hawaiian Victorian” mansion, Puuopelu. Originally built in 1862 by Englishman Charles Notley, Puuopelu became the heart of Parker Ranch.   (Paniolo Preservation Society)

John II adopted Samuel’s son John III to be heir of his half of the Ranch; John III married Elizabeth Jane Lanakila Dowsett but died shortly after his daughter, Annie Thelma Kahilu‘onāpua‘api‘ilani Parker, was born and his half of the estate was put in trust for their daughter, Thelma. (Tracy)

“[F]ollowing the death of JP Parker II in 1891, there was growing tension between Samuel Parker, estate trustees, and JP Parker III. The latter Parker died in 1894”. (Maly)

“On September 25, 1899, [Alfred Wellington] AW Carter was appointed guardian and trustee of Thelma Parker … In accepting the appointment as guardian and trustee, AW relinquished several opportunities that other men would have found difficult to abandon …”

“… a lucrative law career in the burgeoning city of Honolulu, president of Charles R. Bishop Trust, an executive career with Bishop Bank, deputy attorney general, judge of the First Circuit Court, and trusteeship of Bernice Pauahi Bishop’s estate.” (Bergin)

“When AW assumed the reins of the ranch, the combined total of fee simple land owned by Thelma K Parker and her natural grandfather Sam Parker amounted to only some 34,000 acres, with large parcels under lease.” (Bergin)

The AW Carter moved into the home (the 1885 structure referenced above that had been used as an Episcopal Church)  – it was painted white (but the name Hale Kea (White House) did not take hold until a subsequent owner).

“It served as a home for Carter and his family for 60 years and included bunk houses on site for ranch hands. Many of the current gardens were originally pastureland and corrals.” (Landry Fuller, West Hawaii Today, Dec 10, 2018)

“Mr. Carter – AW was very strict for the good, you know. And people respected him for that. He was a father to the employees, and their families. And he just didn’t want to see anything go wrong within the families.”

“(Though) he was soft within himself, he was (a strict person). (However,) he was an easy man to talk to. He would give you a straight answer.” (Elizabeth Kimura, Oral History Interview)

“I saw the home when occupied by Hartwell Carter, AW’s son. It was very well kept,” historian and Waimea resident Billy Bergin said.” (Landry Fuller, West Hawaii Today, Dec 10, 2018)

In 1906, Sam Parker sold his interest to Thelma Parker’s trust, and she became the sole heir to the Parker Ranch. Thelma Parker married Henry Gaillard Smart when she was eighteen.

In 1913, Richard Palmer Smart was born to Thelma and Henry (a daughter died young). In 1914, both Thelma and Henry Smart died before Richard was two years old. (South Kohala CDP)

Then, on his 20th birthday, Richard became the sole owner of Parker Ranch. He entrusted AW Carter with ranch operations while he followed his heart to the footlights of Broadway and fashionable clubs in New York and Paris.

Over the years, AW and his son Hartwell Carter developed the ranch and increased land holdings to about 500,000 acres. (Paniolo Preservation Society)

Richard came back to the island in 1960 and set about making Puuopelu into his grand estate. … In 1986, Richard decided to move his ancestral home, Mana Hale, to the grounds at Puuopelu. Walls, floors and ceilings were taken down, numbered and reassembled into a replica of the original home.  (Paniolo Preservation Society)

Richard Smart, last remaining heir to the Parker Dynasty, took over Ranch operations from Hartwell Carter, son of AW Carter during the middle of the 20th century. (South Kohala CDP)

Then, a new proposed use of the white house was reported in the papers … “Mauna Kea Hunting Lodge will offer a quarter-million acres of land and a boundless sea to its members when it open in September, in time for the finest hunting season in the Pacific.”

“Pacific Resorts, Inc., yesterday announced final plans on the construction of the $1-million sportsman’s hunting club at Waimea, Hawaii in the heart of the famed Parker Ranch.” (Adv, Apr 3,1960)

“Plans are being made in cooperation with the State Department of Agriculture and Forestry to establish a Hawaiian Hahai – a big game shoot to rival the international fame of the African safari or the Indian shikar.”  (Adv, Apr 3,1960)

“Focal point of the club’s extensive grounds at Waimea will be the Parker Ranch manager’s home.  The century-old white house will be the clubhouse with dining facilities, a bar, gaming and trophy rooms.”  (Adv, Apr 3,1960)

“An initial 20 cottages … will dot the grounds so situated to take advantage of the exhilarating view of a waterfall that cascades and forms two pools on the property.”

Shortly after, “[Laurance] Rockefeller, an American philanthropist and businessman, purchased the property in the mid-1960s and lived there while building the Kohala Coast’s first hotel – Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.”

“During that time the property was expanded and grew to its present size. Some of his personal guests included Jackie Kennedy and Henry Kissinger.” (Landry Fuller, West Hawaii Today, Dec 10, 2018)

“In the 1970s and ‘80s, Waimea rancher and businessman William White owned the property and used it as his private residence. … [I]t was Bill (White) who gave it the name ‘Hale Kea’ [White House].” (Landry Fuller, West Hawaii Today, Dec 10, 2018)

“In 1989, developers from Kauai [operators of Kilohana plantation estate] opened the estate to the public with shops and a popular restaurant named Hartwell’s.” (Landry Fuller, West Hawaii Today, Dec 10, 2018)

White sublet the property and its name was changed to Jacaranda Inn. That operated for a number of years. Tax office records note that in April 2021, the lease/or subleases over the property were cancelled and the property is held by Parker Ranch Foundation Trust.

Also here was “Waimea’s rain rock, Manaua, named for the resident moo wahine – guardian lizard of Kohakohau stream.” (WHT, Aug 22, 2017) “In times of drought, the elders in Waimea remember the mo‘o wahine, or female water spirit, and the comfortably sloped rock where the old stories say she comes to sun herself.”

“The rock is known as Manaua, and after the long drought … Hawaiian cultural practitioners began leaving … offerings there in a tradition that is supposed to bring rain.”

“According to local legend, the mo’o wahine lives at a pond some distance from the rock, and when she sees the offerings at Manaua, she realizes the people remember her. … Then the rains resumed in some mauka areas, and after the offerings were made, the water reserves climbed”. (Adv, July 6, 2007)

“‘When AW Carter lived, he knew the story about the rain god. The rain god is the stone.’ said [Anna] Perry-Fiske, sitting in her pristine ranch house amid cowhide throw rugs and bouquets of roses from her lush garden. AW Carter, she explained. was an important honcho of Parker Ranch in the old days.”

“When Parker Ranch sold Hale Kea to Rockefeller, said Perry-Fiske, they held onto the small hunk of property where the rain stone lies. ‘Whenever there was a drought, there’d be a lei made. It would be put on the rain stone. And there would be rain,’ said Perry-Fiske.”

“‘Well, I don’t believe. But I said, people who do believe, they should hurry up quick and do it.’ So last week the ranch folks cleared off the stone.”

“‘They put on a real big lei,” said Perry-Fiske. ‘The next day it rained. And my friends called and said, ‘Maybe this will make you believe.’ And it stopped raining. And I said, quick, go put another lei on. …” Then it started raining.

“And as it rained, Perry-Fiske said ‘you’d have thought I was at a football game, because I was chanting ‘a little bit more, a little bit more.’” (Adv, Feb 11, 1981)

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