Freemasons | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

December 30, 2023 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Sunny Jim, John and Link

Three sons of Thomas McCartney McCandless and Elizabeth Ann (Newman) McCandless, James Sutton (‘Sunny Jim’) McCandless, John Andrew McCandless and Lincoln Loy (‘Link’) McCandless formed McCandless Brothers in 1881.

Thomas McCartney McCandless (September 6, 1821 – September 5, 1907) was born in Pennsylvania; he was a descendant of the McCartney family, who were the principal owners and founders of Indiana County, Pennsylvania. Eliza Ann Newman (April 25, 1826 – October 26, 1891) was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Peter Newman, a miller, born in Heidelberg, Germany, and of Jane Ferguson Newman.

They had seven children – this story is about three of the boys and their ties to Hawaiʻi. Jim arrived in the islands first (1880,) followed by John (1881) and Link (1882.)

A chance call on the late Samuel G Wilder, a pioneer shipping man of Hawaiʻi (and then-Minister of the Interior under King Kalākaua) who was visiting in San Francisco in 1880, brought Jim to the islands. “He told us the story of the first well drilled in the Islands, and the manner in which the new work was developing. Then we told him what we knew about drilling wells.”

James Campbell was owner of the Honouliuli Ranch; it was mostly dry plains, needing only water to make it fertile. In July, 1879, John Ashley started drilling the first artesian well in the Hawaiian Islands in the rear of the James Campbell Ranch House at Honouliuli, Ewa District, on the flat land close to the sea.

At a depth of about 250 feet, they found fresh water, which flowed in a small stream over the top of the pipe, the first well in Hawaiʻi, and also the first flowing well in the Hawaiian Islands.

“We were, of course, strangers to (Wilder) and he had only our word for what we knew about drilling wells, but after looking us over he seemed to feel that we would be able to deliver the goods. Consequently, on that Saturday in December, 1880, we sailed with Mr Wilder for Honolulu in the Hawaiian Islands”. (McCandless)

“When (Jim) got to Honolulu on December 30, 1880, after a voyage of nine and a half days, the port was quarantined against small-pox. Instead of landing at the dock, we were taken over to the reef at the place where the drydock now stands. A sort of boardwalk was built out into the harbor, but the water was too shallow for ships’ boats to reach it; so each passenger was carried ashore on the back of a Hawaiian.”

Jim first partnered with Captain William D Braden, later his brothers came to help. Their first well was at Mahukona on the Island of Hawaiʻi. “We stayed on the job at Mahukona until the well was finished, but found only salt water. At 800 feet, Mr. Wilder stopped the work on the well and we came back to Honolulu.”

“After we had returned to Honolulu from Mahukona, Mr. Wilder helped us in securing contracts for five wells, to be drilled for His Majesty, King Kalākaua: one in the Palace grounds, one at his home in Waikiki, and three others located on his properties in the outside districts.”

Over the next 55-years, McCandless Brothers drilled more than 700 good wells across the Islands. Their wells helped support and water the growing and expansive sugar and pineapple plantations including ʻEwa, Kahuku, Oʻahu, Waialua and other large producers, and also on the Islands of Maui, Hawaiʻi, Kauai and Molokai.

ʻEwa plantation was the first plantation in Hawaiʻi that installed pumping plants for irrigation from artesian wells; in its day, it pumped four times as much water as the City of Honolulu used. (Nellist)

“Among the crowding memories of the more than fifty-five-years that we have lived in Hawaiʻi is the thought that we came here as young men seeking our fortunes, and trying to better our fortunes, and trying to better our condition in life.” (McCandless)

“Since 1880, we have witnessed several changes in the government of Hawaiʻi. King Kalākaua, a jolly monarch, was on the throne when we arrived. He was followed by Queen Liliʻuokalani, who reigned until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893.”

“Annexation did not come until the Spanish-American war. Then the United States suddenly woke up and annexed Hawaiʻi, the Gibraltar of the Pacific. (It has been claimed that we are not a real territory of the United States, yet I often wonder how many other countries would like to own us.)”

“We three brothers each took active parts in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. We belonged to the first company of sharpshooters in the National Guard of Hawaiʻi, and were proficient in the art of shooting and handling guns. We participated in several skirmishes”. (McCandless)

John was a member of the “Committee of Thirteen,” which took an active part in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy in 1893. From 1894 to 1898 he held an office under President Sanford B Dole, in his cabinet, and later became a member of the Senate.

He was the first superintendent of public works under the territorial government, and while holding this office built the first road around Diamond Head on the sea side of the crater, and the lighthouse there.

Link, as a boy, had a great desire to own land and cattle. His ambition has also been achieved. It was not long after he arrived in the Islands that he leased the lands here and there and formed huis to buy more.

With a hui, he bought land of Waikāne and Waiāhole on the north side of the island of Oʻahu. He bought this land with the water rights, later selling part of this right to the Oʻahu Sugar Company. John ended up controlling thousand acres on his own (and a lot more through various partnerships.)

Link conceived the feasibility of diverting water from Waiāhole, Waikāne and Kahana, on the windward side of Oahu, through the mountain divide to the rich sugar lands on the leeward side of Oahu by means of a tunnel.

Link fathered the Torrens Land Court Law in the territorial senate in 1903, thus establishing the right of individuals to prove title to their land holdings. (Nellist)

John and Jim partnered on a downtown Honolulu lot and built the first modern office building in Honolulu, in 1907. It is five stories high (and also reported as one of only a few Honolulu buildings to feature a full basement,) built of lava rock – the McCandless Building (it is still standing at 925 Bethel Street.) Nearby is the still existing McCandless Block at 9 North Pauahi Street.

Jim took an interest in the Masonic Lodge and became a member of the Aloha Temple in 1904. At the meeting in Washington, DC, of the Supreme Council of the Thirty-third Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Masonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America, he was elected to receive the 33° of the A and A Scottish Rite of Free Masonry (conferred upon him at Līhuʻe, on February 16, 1934.)

A descendant in the family is Maxwell (Max) McCandless Unger; former Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints center, he was a ProBowler, Super Bowl winner and graduate of Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy. His family owns/manages McCandless Ranch in South Kona.

October 15, 2023 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Schofield Lodge

It is not clear when Freemasonry started, as there are various evidence that point to numerous times in the past. Modern Freemasonry started in England in 1717 when four English masonic lodges met and formed a “grand lodge” — a body that would govern all of the lodges and permit new lodges to be formed. However, Freemasonry obviously started before that. (Schofield Lodge)

The secret society emerged from the medieval guilds of stonemasons in Britain and Europe that set standards, protected workers’ rights and provided other benefits.

Though only Scottish and English associations were connected to the modern Masonic fraternity, similar craft guilds and companies existed across Europe, playing an important role in the construction of abbeys, cathedrals and castles.

Masons’ tools such as the level, square and compass served to underline the fraternity’s values: equality, honesty, spirituality. Freemasonry spread like wildfire throughout Europe and America during the eighteenth century.

Hawai‘i was first visited by Freemasons as early as the early-1790s, with the visit of George Vancouver (however, some suggest Captain Cook was a Freemason, but the records don’t substantiate that.) Over time, other Freemasons (mariners, merchants and professionals) visited the Islands.

However, it was a French mariner who introduced this British cultural export into Hawai‘i at a time when the Union Jack flew over the kingdom’s capital.

On April 8, 1843, during the reign of King Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli,) Freemasonry was formally established in Hawai‘i by Joseph Marie Le Tellier, Captain of the French whaling barque “Ajax” when he warranted Lodge Le Progres de l’Oceanie No. 124, of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of the Supreme Council of France.

This was the first Masonic Lodge to be instituted in the Islands; with it, Freemasonry became firmly established in the Sandwich Islands. In Honolulu, the original lodge members were European and American mariners, shopkeepers and farmers.

The Masonic Lodges of Hawaii had a long association with the Grand Lodge of California going back to 1852, when Hawaiian Lodge was Chartered by California.

In subsequent years eleven other Lodges were chartered in Hawaii by the Grand Lodge of California, some were originally chartered by California and others transferred their allegiance from other jurisdictions to California. (Gardiner)

Later, in 1879, King Kalākaua (one of the most active members of the Craft in the Island Kingdom,) conducted a grand Masonic ceremony at the site of the new ‘Iolani Palace, using Masonic silver working tools specially crafted for the occasion.

Duke Kahanamoku was one of the many prominent members of Hawaiian Lodge No. 21, F.& A.M. (Free and Accepted Masons) when the Hawaii Lodges were under the Grand Lodge of California.

He was raised to the degree of Master Mason on October 30, 1946, exalted a Royal Arch Mason in Honolulu Chapter No.1 on December 4, 1952; received and greeted a Royal and Select Master in Honolulu Council No. 1 on December 4, 1952; and dubbed and created a Knight Templar in the Honolulu Commandery No.1 on April 16, 1953.

The Army Post at Schofield Barracks had grown considerably after the Islands became an American possession, and thousands of officers and troops were permanently quartered on the plains outside Wahiawa, Oahu, about twenty-five miles outside the City of Honolulu.

Among the officers and enlisted men were many members of the Masonic Fraternity who found it very inconvenient to travel the distance to Honolulu to attend Lodge. In 1913, the Grand Lodge of California was petitioned for a charter.

On December 8, 1913, a dispensation was granted to form a Lodge at Schofield, followed by a charter granted on October 15, 1914, officially founding Schofield Lodge No. 443, F. & A. M.

The first home for the Schofield Lodge was in the meeting hall above the Leilehua Department Store on Post, but later moved onto the Post in a building constructed for its use.

The first World War and the subsequent enlarging of the Post made these quarters inadequate. In 1932, a Masonic Temple was erected at the edge of the reservation. (Chaussee)

On the shore of Lake Wilson, the new building was of double wall wood-frame construction and “one of the few military lodges of Masons in the world”. The Lodge includes in its rolls names of men from all over the world. (SB)

It was named the Dr Hubert Wood Memorial and was dedicated in 1932 in memory of the late Dr Hubert Wood, “one of the best known and loved physicians in the Territory and an energetic worker in all Masonic activities”. (Star Bulletin, April 30, 1932)

Then, the cornerstone was laid on June 29, 1968 for a new masonry structure and the first meeting was held on December 10, 1968. The Schofield Lodge has continued to meet there ever since. (Martin)

April 8, 2020 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Freemasonry in Hawai‘i

Freemasonry, with its commitment to interdenominational and international fellowship, originated in the British Isles. The secret society emerged from the medieval guilds of stonemasons in Britain and Europe that set standards, protected workers’ rights and provided other benefits.

Though only Scottish and English associations can be connected to the modern Masonic fraternity, similar craft guilds and companies existed across Europe, playing an important role in the construction of abbeys, cathedrals and castles.

Hawai‘i was first visited by Freemasons as early as the early-1790s, with the visit of George Vancouver. In addition other lesser known Freemasons (mariners, merchants and professionals) visited the Islands.

Oddly enough, it was a French mariner who introduced this British cultural export into Hawai‘i at a time when the Union Jack flew over the kingdom’s capital.

This was the first Masonic Lodge to be instituted in the Sandwich Islands (as Hawai‘i was referenced at that time) and is quite likely the first Lodge to be founded in the Pacific and West of the Rocky Mountains.

With it, Freemasonry became firmly established in the Sandwich Islands. In Honolulu, the original lodge members were European and American mariners, shopkeepers and farmers.

Membership in Masonic lodges has always served to facilitate business contacts, as well as social ones. By the late-1840s there were about thirty-five merchants and storekeepers in Honolulu, of whom about one third were Masons. Similar ratios existed for the other 150 skilled “mechanics” and professionals in town.

Hawaiian Royalty soon looked to membership. The association between Freemasonry and the Hawaiian Monarchy started with Prince Lot when he was raised in Hawaiian Lodge in 1853, and became the first Native Hawaiian to become a Freemason (he later became Kamehameha V.)

Prince Lot was followed into the fraternity by his younger brother Prince Alexander Liholiho, who later became Kamehameha IV, and was the Master of Lodge le Progres de l’Oceanie in 1859, 1861 and 1862.

In June 1853, Foreign Minister Robert Crichton Wyllie sent the lodge a request from King Kamehameha III that the reigning monarch be initiated “into our ancient and benevolent order.” Apparently, the lodge did not take the opportunity to enroll King Kamehameha III.

In July 1860, the ground breaking for Queen’s Hospital included a traditional Masonic cornerstone laying ceremony attended by thousands and presided over by the young monarch.

Later, in 1879, King Kalākaua (one of the most active members of the Craft in the Island Kingdom,) conducted a grand Masonic ceremony at the site of the new ‘Iolani Palace, using Masonic silver working tools specially crafted for the occasion.

Other public buildings dedicated under Masonic rites were Ali‘iolani Hale (now home to Hawai‘i’s Supreme Court) and Lunalilo Home.

Other notable Masons of that time included John Dominis (husband of Queen Lili’uokalani,) Archibald Cleghorn (Governor of O‘ahu,) Prince William Pitt Leleiohoku (younger brother of King Kalākaua) and Prince David Kawananakoa.

During the first decades of Masonic activity in the Islands, Americans constituted 40 percent to 50 percent of all members, and Scots, Irish and English together constituted another 30 percent.

Native Hawaiians, on the other hand, comprised no more than 5 to 10 percent of the fraternity, but because they were frequently royalty or important governmental officials, they were highly conspicuous.

In 1852, Hawaiian Lodge was chartered by the Grand Lodge of California and all Hawaiʻi lodges became part of that grand lodge from 1902 until 1989, when the Grand Lodge of Hawaiʻi was established.

After 137 years to the month (when the Hawaiian Lodge was chartered,) May 5, 1852 – May 20, 1989, of being a part of the California Jurisdiction, Hawai‘i established its own regular Grand Lodge.

On May 20, 1989, the twelve Masonic Lodges of Hawaiʻi instituted The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Hawai‘i.

The Grand Lodge of Hawai‘i is the smallest and youngest of American jurisdictions, consisting of eleven constituent lodges and about 1,700 members. Over the years, its members have included three kings, four governors and six chief justices of the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court.

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