Lahainaluna Printing-Engraving

Lahainaluna Seminary (now Lahainaluna High School) was founded on September 5th 1831 by the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions “to instruct young men of piety and promising talents”.

Out of this training came many of Hawaii’s future leaders and scholars including David Malo (1835,) Samuel Kamakau (1837) and others (Keali‘i Reichel graduated in 1980.)

In  December,  1833,  a  printing  press  was  delivered  to  Lahainaluna  from  Honolulu.  It was  housed  in a temporary office building and in January,  1834,  the  first book  printed  off  the  press  was  Worcester’s  Scripture Geography.

On February 14, 1834 came  the  first newspaper, ‘Ka Lama Hawaii,’ ever  printed  in  the  Islands  in  any  language, also  the  first newspaper  published  west of the Rocky Mountains.

Besides the publication of the newspapers, pamphlets and books, another important facet of activity off the press was engraving.

A checklist made in 1927 records thirty-three maps and fifty-seven sketches of houses and landscapes, only one of which is of a non-Hawaiian subject.

That brings us to a newly printed book “Engraved at Lahainaluna,” offered through the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives.

It’s here and being processed for sales, soon … and if you like things of Hawai‘i, this is something you will want to add to your collection. 

The Mission Houses store is open Tuesday through Sunday 10 am through 4 pm – it’s located at the Historic site at 553 South King Street (Diamond Head side of Kawaiahaʻo Church.

Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives invites the public to celebrate the launching of Engraved at Lahainaluna, on Wednesday, May 30, at 5:30 p.m. at Hawaiian Mission Houses.

For more information on the book launch, or to purchase Engraved at Lahainaluna, please call 447-3923 or visit www.missionhouses.org.

The image shows a drawing of Lahainaluna (ca. 1838, drawn by Bailey and engraved by Kepohoni;) in addition, Missions Houses has given me permission to post some of the engravings and I added a few other Lahainaluna engravings in a folder of like name in the Photos section.  (I’ll add some more later.)

But don’t rely on these, get you own copy of the “Engraved at Lahainaluna” (I’ve already ordered mine.)