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August 31, 2022 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Halekūlani Hotel

Historically, Waikīkī encompassed fishponds, taro lo‘i, coconut groves and a reef-protected beach that accommodated Hawaiian canoes.

Waikīkī shifted from agricultural to residential uses, with private residences for the Hawaiian royalty and the well-to-do.  Near the turn of the 20th-century, some of these homes were converted into small hotels and eventually into world class resorts.

Robert Lewers (whose firm Lewers & Cooke supplied much of the lumber for O‘ahu homes) built a two-story wooden frame bungalow with an open veranda overlooking a coconut grove in 1883.  Then, in 1907, Edwin Irwin leased the Lewers’ house and converted it into a small hotel called the Hau Tree.

Nearby, the J Atherton Gilman family bought 3-acres and built a two-story house from a man named Hall.  La Vancha Maria Chapin Gray rented the Gilman house in 1912 and converted it into a boarding house and named it Gray’s-by-the-Beach.  The sandy area fronting it was soon referred to as Gray’s Beach.

In 1917, Clifford and Juliet Kimball acquired the Hau Tree Inn near Gray’s Beach and, in the late 1920s, they decided to expand and bought the Gilman property, including Gray’s-by-the-Sea and an adjacent parcel belonging to Arthur Brown.

When their expansion project was completed, the Kimballs had acquired over five acres of prime Waikīkī beachfront for their resort, which they named Halekūlani, or “house befitting heaven.”

An early guest at the Halekūlani was Earl Derr Biggers, the author of a murder mystery called ‘The House Without a Key’ (1925.)  Biggers’ book title was based on his discovery that no one locked their doors there.  In memory of the author and his novel, the Halekūlani named its seaside bar and lanai “House Without a Key.”

The principal character in the story was Charlie Chan, the celebrated Chinese detective, patterned after a Honolulu detective named Chang Apana.

(Born Ah Ping Chang on December 26, 1871 in Waipiʻo, Oʻahu; he eventually became known as Chang Apana (the Hawaiianized version of the Chinese name Ah Ping.)  In 1898, Chang joined the Honolulu Police Department and the “shrewd and meticulous investigator” rose through the ranks to become detective in 1916.)

The beach in this area is a place of healing called Kawehewehe (the removal.)  The sick and the injured came to bathe in the kai, or waters of the sea.  It’s now a small pocket of sand nestled between the Halekūlani and the Sheraton Waikīkī.

Kawehewehe takes its meaning from the root word, wehe (which means to remove) (Pukui.)  Thus, as the name implies, Kawehewehe was a traditional place where people went to be cured of all types of illnesses – both physical and spiritual – by bathing in the healing waters of the ocean.

There was a Kawehewehe Pond; people with a physical ailment would come to the pond in search of healing.  A kahuna, or priest, would place a lei limu kala around their neck, and instruct them to submerge themselves in the healing waters of the pond.

When the lei came off and floated downstream, it was said that the afflicted ones were healed.  (This area is also typically known as Gary’s Beach.)

Gray’s Channel heading out from the beach was a natural channel through the reef off the Halekūlani Hotel.  It was enlarged by dredging in the early 1950s to allow catamarans to come ashore at Gray’s Beach.   Popular surf sites are just off-shore.

Eventually, the Norton Clapp family of Seattle bought Halekulani, by now consisting of a large Main Building and 37 one and two-story bungalows.

In 1981 the hotel was purchased by Mitsui Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. Today the 456-room Halekūlani Hotel is one of Waikīkī’s premier resorts.  (Lots of info here from Halekūlani and Clark.)

© 2022 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: Economy, Buildings Tagged With: Charlie Chan, Kawehewehe, Hawaii, Waikiki, Oahu, Halekulani

October 21, 2021 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

House Without a Key

“The koa-wood key has reached me and it is a lovely thing – but that was to be expected, since it came from Hawaii.”

“I am proud of the friends I have made in the Islands and prouder of this key than of anything that has happened to me in 20 years of writing.  I was eager to draw a true picture of Hawaii, but was not entirely confident of success. “

“I was only a malihini, a stranger, and what would the thousands who had known and loved the islands for many years think of the story?  That I did not entirely fail, this gift is proof, and that is only one of the reasons why I shall always prize it highly.”

“I should add at once that my long delay in writing you was due to the fact that the key was only just reached me, having traveled to New York, and thence back to the coast.”

“Most people who have been to Hawaii long to return, and in the future I shall long a bit more ardently than most. I hope before many months I shall be able to do so.”

“In the meantime I want all those who had anything to do with the key to know that their thought of me has touched my heart.  Please than them all for me.”

“Their unexpected, graceful gift is characteristic of Hawaii, and just another proof that he who has friends in the islands is rich indeed.”  (Star-Bulletin, June 19, 1925)

The thank you letter above was written by Earl Derr Biggers and sent to the Hawaii Tourist Bureau in 1925.

On January 24, 1925, ‘The Saturday Evening Post’ began its serialization of the book that would make Earl Derr Biggers famous: The House Without a Key, the first of the Charlie Chan series.

The principal character in the story was Charlie Chan, the celebrated Chinese detective.  Chan was modeled after Chang Apana.  In 1897, Helen Kīna‘u Wilder was given the authority to enforce animal cruelty laws.  She was appointed a special constable by the Marshall of the Republic of Hawai‘i.

She and her friends pooled their resources to pay a salary to hire Chang Apana, the first officer to investigate animal crimes, who inspired author Earl der Biggers’ popular Charlie Chan series of detective novels. (Hawaiian Humane Society)

Born Ah Ping Chang on December 26, 1871 in Waipiʻo, Oʻahu; he eventually became known as Chang Apana (the Hawaiianized version of the Chinese name Ah Ping.)  In 1898, Chang joined the Honolulu Police Department and the “shrewd and meticulous investigator” rose through the ranks to become detective in 1916.

Biggers was an early guest at the Halekūlani Hotel in Waikiki. Biggers’ book title was based on his discovery that no one locked their doors there.  In memory of the author and his novel, the Halekūlani named its seaside bar and lanai “House Without a Key.”

“’The House Without a Key’ is the story of a very rich man who has many enemies. He wants a certain locked chest in San Francisco cast into the sea – until it is beyond the reach of man he will know no peace.”

“He commissions his nephew to do the deed. But before the nephew reaches Honolulu the man is dead – murdered by an unknown assailant.”

“The secret of the chest. By mystery of the murder and the enmity that existed between the dead man and his brother furnish a lively plot”. (Stockton Independent, December 4, 1926)

The ”Decision to present the key to Biggers was made at a recent meeting of the tourist bureau, and arrangements for having it made were left to WH Hussman, Hawaii representative of the bureau.”

The key measures 25 inches in length and is six inches in width at both ends.  It was made at the Hilo Boarding School manual training shop. (Star Bulletin, April 6, 1925)

“The present of the Hawaii Tourist Bureau was for a time displayed in Benson, Smith & Co.’s window, where it attracted much interest.” (Star-Bulletin, April 15, 1925)

Bigger’s book and subsequent movies helped to put Hawaii and one of its iconic hotels on the map.

The key had an inscription, “Hawaii is still the ‘House without a Key’: you have it.  Use it often.”  True to his word, Biggers would soon return to the Islands.

Earl Derr Biggers was born in 1884 in Warren, Ohio. He graduated from Harvard University in 1907 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After college, Biggers went to work at The Boston Traveler, where he wrote a humorous column, and then reviews, until 1911.

Biggers ultimately wrote six Charlie Chan mystery novels: The House Without A Key, The Chinese Parrot, Behind That Curtain, The Black Camel, Charlie Chan Carries On, and Keeper of the Keys.

The Charlie Chan movies were one of the most successful screen series in history, with over 40 movies based on the character. There were also numerous Chan radio adaptations and comic strips, as well as attempts to bring the character to television. Earl Biggers died in Pasadena, California, in April of 1933 at the age of 48, from a heart attack.

© 2021 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: Economy, General, Place Names, Prominent People Tagged With: House Without a Key, Earl Biggers, Charlie Chan

March 16, 2018 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Hawaiian Humane Society

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded in New York in 1866. It was the first organization of its kind in the US. Its focus was on the welfare of animals (i.e. how work horses, common on New York streets, were treated).

In 1871, a woman petitioned the ASPCA to intervened on behalf of Emily Thompson, an orphaned 8-year-old girl, who was being physically abused by her foster mother. ASPCA investigators were sent to the child’s home and verified the injuries.

A court ordered her removed, and tried and convicted the foster mother. However, Emily recanted her testimony and the sentence was suspended.

Three years later, the ASPCA became involved in a case related to Mary Ellen Wilson, another child at risk. Mary Ellen, 9 at the time but looking like a 5-year-old, was often left locked alone in her tenement apartment and was the victim of cruel beatings by her foster mother.

Staff from ASPCA intervened, as individuals, not representatives of the organization. On April 9, 1874, the police rescued Mary Ellen and her foster mother was charged and convicted of assault.

This case ultimately led to the formation of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. That same year, the American Humane Association (later called American Humane) was formed with the principle goals of “the prevention and suppression of cruelty, especially of cruelty to children and animals”. (Ascione)

Another group, the American Humane Education Society was formed to promote programs in schools and homes across the country. By 1910, there were 247 state or local humane socieities that included the welfarepf both animals and children within the scope of their efforts. (Ascione)

The Hawaiian Humane Society was organized in 1883 and first served to give a voice to the voiceless; as with others on the continent, not just animals, but also people of Hawaii.

In addition to caring for orphaned children and unwed mothers, much of their efforts were directed at helping work animals such as horses, donkeys, oxen and water buffalo. (Hawaiian Humane Society)

King Kalākaua was one of the founding members and donated a house on the palace grounds to serve as its first office. (Sigall) At the national annual meeting (1921) reported, “that a total of 1,294 cases involving children and adults were investigated in the last year, in addition to 1,301 animal cases.” (National Humane Review)

In 1897, Helen Kīna‘u Wilder was given the authority to enforce animal cruelty laws. She was appointed a special constable by the Marshall of the Republic of Hawai‘i.

She and her friends pooled their resources to pay a salary to hire Chang Apana, our first officer to investigate animal crimes, who inspired author Earl der Biggers’ popular Charlie Chan series of detective novels. (Hawaiian Humane Society)

Lucy Ward, fifth of the seven daughters or Curtis and Victoria Ward, first served as a humane investigator, then later became the organization’s executive director. (Hawaiian Humane Society)
“
“Armed with her trademark bullwhip, pistol and badge, Lucy tirelessly fought for neglected or mistreated animals and sought to help disadvantaged children. … With a tough as nails attitude and an unyielding passion for animals, Lucy was one of the most visible champions of animal welfare.” (Humane Society)

Another Humane Society leader was Clorinda Lucas. She notes, “My first social work job was with the Humane Society when they took care of children. I was there, I guess, about three or four years and then I went to the New York School [of Social Work] and got my training and then came back to the Department of Public Welfare.” (Lucas; Watamull)

Later, the Society focused only on animals, “And the charter – the Humane Society charter – which had been on the books since 1890, was changed to have all the funds used only for animals, cause the children’s section was going over (to The Children’s Service Association).”

“(C)ertain members of the board were so afraid somebody would come along and want the children taken care of again so that there’d be less money for the animals, that they pushed it very hard”. (Lucas; Watamull)

Lucas’ daughter, Laura Thompson later became executive director. “(W)e’ve been tied up with animals just about all our lives and of course I’m very happy to know that Laura’s interested in animals too.” (Lucas; Watamull)

Since 1942, the Humane Society’s busy shelter in the heart of Mo‘ili‘ili has become a community hub for animal lovers featuring programs and services focused on strengthening the human-animal bond: rescuing the abused, engaging volunteers, fighting for better laws and caring for more than 20,000 animals a year.

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Filed Under: General Tagged With: Hawaii, Charlie Chan, Hawaiian Humane Society

Images of Old Hawaiʻi

People, places, and events in Hawaiʻi’s past come alive through text and media in “Images of Old Hawaiʻi.” These posts are informal historic summaries presented for personal, non-commercial, and educational purposes.

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