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November 26, 2023 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Barbara Hall

“Born in Honolulu the son of a whaler, [Alfred Wellington] AW Carter graduated summa cum laude from Yale law school, became a judge, and distinguished himself in various positions in island commerce and government.”

“The ‘big thing’ in his business life – running Parker Ranch – started in 1899 when, at the age of 32, he was named as guardian of young Thelma Kahiluonapuaapiilani Parker. He was to guide Parker Ranch for nearly half a century and do more to advance it than anyone but old Parker himself.” (Paniolo Hall of Fame)

“A man of great humility and spirit, he ever disclaimed that he alone made the Parker Ranch one of the most important meat-producing units of the world, although this was often said of him.”

“Mr. Carter gave the major credit for building this mighty enterprise to the teamwork of the Hawaiian cowboys; to the advice of practical ranchmen who had learned by experience; and to the reasoning of research in the ways of life from germs to genetics.”

“Some thought him a martinet because he demanded that instructions be followed to the letter, but he took the blame himself for errors of judgment, this personally humble and humane servant of the law and leader among his fellows.”

“An unusual man, this Hawaii’s native son, creator of great wealth for others.  A somewhat austere man because of his almost puritanical adherence to right and justice, the warmth of his friendships will be a treasured remembrance always.” (Honolulu Advertiser, April 29, 1949)

In 1915, “Barbara Hall is built at a cost of $6,954.02 by Parker Ranch as a place of rest and relaxation for ranch employees and is named in honor of the daughter of then Parker Ranch Manager, AW Carter.” (Parker School)  (Barbara Juliette Carter was born June 25, 1901.)

“The courthouse was [used for social activities] … in the meantime we had built this Barbara Hall … That was built for social activities. And then, that [courthouse] building there was used by the police department and for court cases.”

“It was just a big hall and a back room and upstairs for movie projector. We used to have silent pictures those days. Once in a while, we had silent pictures (shown for ranch) families.”

“It was mostly (used) for ranch affairs, ranch functions. When we grew up, we’re not able to throw a party or have a big function like we do now. Everybody just goes out and have a big Iu‘au or for a wedding or baptism. Those days, we didn’t have such a thing. So the hall was strictly used for ranch functions. (It was not opened to the community.)”

“That’s where they had the Christmas-tree program and the big lu’au and silent movies. And meetings would be held, as long it’s ranch-associated, like Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, you know, that are sponsored by the ranch. They would have first use of that facility. Otherwise, there was no other place to hold a meeting, except to go (to) the schools.” (Elizabeth Kimura, Oral History)

“In addition to R&R for Parker Ranch employees, Barbara Hall serves as a community hall for social gatherings, flower shows, community plays, fashion shows, club activities, baby clinics, dance classes, and other community events.”

“Parker Ranch hosts an annual Christmas party and New Year’s Eve luau inviting all residents of Waimea to Barbara Hall.” (Parker School)

“[When] they had a lū‘au there and it took about a week to prepare things for the lū‘au. Because they’d go down to ‘Anaeho‘omalu to get coconuts. They’d go up in the mountain to pick maile and pick fern, to decorate the tables and whatnot.”

“And then cut firewood for the imu, and I guess there probably were twenty-five, thirty people involved in preparing this lū‘au. And every employee on the ranch and a lot of outsiders, non-ranch people, were invited to the lū‘au.”

“The tables were all decorated beautifully with palapalai and ginger and they put the food on the table and they keep the door closed. And when Mr. Carter came up they’d open the door and he would be the first one to go in and sit down, and everybody else would follow in.” (Rally Greenwell, Oral History)

“[D]uring the war … That’s when the marines took over and they added on to the old Barbara Hall and made extensions more for gathering place. The boys would go there and play cards and have bingo games. Recreation …”

In 1943, “Barbara Hall [became] a United Service Organizations (USO) facility for more than 55,000 United States Marines and Navy personnel (two waves of roughly 25,000 soldiers over a two-year period) who train at Camp Tarawa on Parker Ranch during World War II. In two weeks, Waimea’s population explodes from approximately 400 to 25,000 people.” (Parker School)

Barbara Hall at main side Camp Tarawa in Waimea was the busiest and most popular USO on the Island. It was the site of dances with live music played by famous orchestras, entertainment by big-name stars and other recreational activities. (Greguras)

“Our local people used to join in with [the military]. And then they built the (movie) theater right next door to the hall. The military did that. … We used to call it Kahilu Theatre. … Everybody came and watched movies.”

“In fact, the war did a lot of good for Waimea. They brought in the theater, and brought in electricity, that’s a big help. … And after the military left, (the theater was operated by a private individual).”

“It was renamed after Richard’s [Richard Smart’s] mother. Richard’s mother, Kahilu [taken from the first three syllables of her Hawaiian name-Thelma Kahiluonapuaapi’ilani Parker Smart]. It was named Kahilu Hall.” (Elizabeth Kimura, Oral History)

On September 3, 1976, Parker School began; 58 students (grades 9 – 12) were enrolled in the side downstairs portion of Kahilu Hall. Richard Smart loaned the space for the first five classrooms, including a science lab and library-study hall. Parker School continues to use the former Barbara Hall on its campus.

“And then, Richard [Smart] built a new town hall in honor of his mother. Kahilu Town Hall and the Kahilu Theatre.” (Elizabeth Kimura, Oral History)

Alfred Hartwell Carter, commonly known as Hartwell, was the only son of Alfred Wellington Carter and Edith Hartwell Carter. He became Parker Ranch manager in 1937 upon the retirement of his father, AW Carter.

In 1949, Carter Sr. passed away leaving his son with complete responsibility for management of the huge Parker Ranch. Hartwell retired on December 31, 1959, after nearly 23 years of service. (Paniolo Hall of Fame)

© 2023 Ho‘okuleana LLC

Filed Under: Buildings, Prominent People, Schools Tagged With: Waimea, Parker Ranch, Kamuela, AW Carter, Barbara Hall, Kahilu Hall, Richard Smart, Hawaii

September 6, 2018 by Peter T Young 5 Comments

Kahuku Ranch

On July 8, 1861 184,298 acres of Kahuku, the entire ahupua‘a was assigned by King Kamehameha IV to Charles Coffin Harris under Patent 2791 for $3,000. As with most grants it recognized the “ancient boundaries” and reserved “the rights of native tenants.”

Harris, a graduate of Harvard learned the Hawaiian language and set up a law practice in Hawai`i. His service to the kingdom included Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hawai`i’s first Attorney General, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and then Chief Justice, 1877-1881, police magistrate and legislative member.

Kalākaua studied law under Harris at the age of 17 making it no surprise Harris became the King’s adviser. While no record of Harris’ activities in Kahuku could be found the land may not have been used for ranching until the next owner. (Helen Wong Smith)

Ownership of Kahuku Ranch transferred from Harris to Theophilus Brown of Groton Connecticut on April 3, 1866 for the price of $5,250. Theophilus’ brother Captain Robert Brown operated the Ranch bringing his family with him.

A visitor to the ranch during these years was Mrs. Alura Brown Cutler wrote the ranch had miles of stone walls enclosing gardens, cattle yards, calf pasture, goat and pig pens.

The gardens contained fig and peach trees as well as bananas and mulberries. She reported the house was located seven miles from the sea and five stone houses for families working for the ranch were provided. (Helen Wong Smith)

Then, “On Friday, March 27, 1868, at 5:30 a.m., several whaling ships anchored in Kawaihae Harbor noticed a dense column of fume reflected by a bright light southwest of the summit of Mauna Loa.”

“An eruption near Moku`āweoweo had taken place, lasting several hours before subsiding. Pele’s hair had drifted down upon the residents of Ka‘ū and South Kona, indicating the presence of lava fountains above. (HVO; Helen Wong Smith)

“This was the scene that opened before us as we ascended the ridge on Friday (April 10, 1868). At the left were these four grand fountains playing with terrific fury, throwing blood-red lava and huge stones, some as large as a house, to £ varying from 500 to 1,000 feet.”

“The grandeur of this scene, ever changing like a moving panorama, no one who has not seen it can realize. Then there was the rapid, rolling stream, rushing and tumbling like a swollen river, down the hill, over the precipice and down the valley to the sea, surging and roaring like a cataract, with a fury perfectly indescribable.”

“This river of fire varied from 200 to 800 feet in width, and when it is known that the descent was 2,000 feet in five miles, the statement that it ran at the rate of ten to twenty-five miles an hour will not be doubted.”

“We waited till night, when the scene was a hundred fold more grand and vivid. The crimson red of the lava now doubly bright, the lurid glare of the red smoke-clouds that overhung the whole, …”

“… the roaring of the rushing stream, the noise of the tumbling rocks thrown out of the crater, the flashes of electric lightning, and the sharp quick claps of thunder – altogether made the scene surpassingly grand.” (HM Whitney, editor of the Honolulu Advertiser, April 13, 1868)

“The 1868 flow destroyed the house of Capt. Robert Brown …. The flow advanced so quickly on the house that Captain Brown and his family escaped with only the clothes on their backs.”

“Soon after the eruption, Theophilus sold the ranch to a hui (group) that included George Jones, who bought out his partners’ interests to became sole owner in 1877.”

“Another Mauna Loa eruption in 1887 produced an ‘a‘ā flow to the west of the 1868 eruption. From vent to ocean, the flow advanced 24 km (15 mi) in about 29 hours and came close – but did not damage – Jones’ residential compound.”

“The real impact of the 1887 eruption on Jones’ ranch was the flow of sightseers. George was known as a very hospitable man and, for several weeks, was forced to suspend operations in order to accommodate the hordes of curious visitors.”

“About a year-and-a-half after the 1887 eruption, Jones sold the ranch to Col. Samuel Norris. Norris, described as eccentric and peculiar, was not hospitable to his fellow Caucasians.”

“Another Mauna Loa eruption in 1907 produced lava flows to the west of the 1887 and 1868 flows, further reducing pasture lands. Tourists flocking to the new flows were not welcomed by the new ranch owner.”

“Norris was 66 when he bought the ranch. In 1910, when he realized he was dying, Norris essentially gave away the ranch, “selling” it to his long-time friend, Charles Macomber, for a dollar, complaining that lava flows had devalued the property. Norris died a few months later.”

“The upper reaches of the ranch were overrun by lava in 1903, 1916, and 1926 but these eruptions did not precipitate a sale as the earlier ones had.“

“In 1912, Macomber sold the ranch to A.W. Carter for inclusion in the famed Parker Ranch.” “During this ownership 1,200 head of cattle were largely run on the land nearest the highway, marginally using the land above the 1,400 foot elevation”

“On February 6, 1947 Parker Ranch sold Kahuku to James W Glover founder of the general construction firm bearing his name …. During his ownership Glover planted koa for logging and continued the installation of smooth wire fencing.”

“After Glover’s death, the ranch was sold under court order by the Hawaiian Trust company, the executor of his estate to pay estate debts including inheritance taxes amounting to almost a million dollars. The trustees of the Samuel M. Damon Estate made the winning bid in 1958”. (HVO; Helen Wong Smith)

On July 3, 2003, the National Park Service partnered with the Nature Conservancy to purchase the 116,000-acre Kahuku Ranch from the estate of Samuel Mills Damon as an addition to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, increasing the size of the park by 50% to 333,086 acres. (Vacation and event rentals remain for remnants of the former Kahuku Ranch, makai of the highway)

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Kahuku Ranch-NPS
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Filed Under: Economy, General, Place Names, Prominent People Tagged With: Hawaii, Theophilus Brown, Hawaii Island, George Jones, Kahuku, Samuel Norris, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Charles Macomber, Kau, AW Carter, Parker Ranch, James Glover, Nature Conservancy, Charles Coffin Harris, Samuel M Damon, Kahuku Ranch, Robert Brown

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