Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Star Spangled Banner

Often overlooked, twenty-nine years after the end of the American Revolution, conflict between the new United States and Britain flared up, again.

The War of 1812 broke out for a variety of reasons, including Britain’s seizure of American ships, forced taking of American sailors into the British navy and restriction of trade between the United States and France.

In June 1812, James Madison became the first US president to ask Congress to declare war (he sent a war message to the Congress on June 1, 1812 and signed the declaration of war on June 18, 1812.)  (The conflict ended with the Treaty of Ghent, in 1815.)

The tensions that caused the War of 1812 arose from the French revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815).

During this nearly constant conflict between France and Britain, American interests were injured by each of the two countries’ endeavors to block the United States from trading with the other.

In Hawaiʻi, the issue of interest was the export of sandalwood – the War of 1812 interfered with trade in the Pacific.

Exports were interrupted by the battling nations as warships were sent to protect their own commerce and destroy that of the enemy.  Hawaiʻi was blockaded during the war.

In addition, several Hawaiians served with the US in the war, including Humehume (Prince Kaumualiʻi, son of King Kaumualiʻi,) Thomas Hopu and William Kanui (all three were also on the Thaddeus with the first missionary company to Hawaiʻi, in 1820.)

A lasting legacy of the War of 1812 was the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the US national anthem.  They were penned by the amateur poet Francis Scott Key after he watched American forces withstand the British siege of Fort McHenry (named for James McHenry, Secretary of War, 1796 – 1800.)

Following the Burning of Washington and the Raid on Alexandria, Key set sail from Baltimore aboard the ship HMS Minden, flying a flag of truce on a mission approved by President James Madison. Their objective was to secure the exchange of prisoners.

On September 13, 1814, nineteen British ships aimed their cannons and guns on the fort.  Amazingly, an estimated 1,500 to 1,800 British cannonballs failed to cause any significant damage to a fort which was unable to fire back on the ships because they were positioned just out of range of the American guns.

During the rainy night, Key had witnessed the bombardment and observed that the fort’s smaller “storm flag” continued to fly, but once the shell and rocket barrage had stopped, he would not know how the battle had turned out until dawn.  By then, the storm flag had been lowered and the larger flag had been raised.

Key was inspired by the American victory and the sight of the large American flag flying triumphantly above the fort.  That morning, he penned the poem that eventually became our country’s National Anthem.

The flag, with fifteen stars and fifteen stripes, came to be known as the Star Spangled Banner Flag and is today on display in the National Museum of American History in the Smithsonian Institution.

The song gained popularity throughout the nineteenth century and bands played it during public events, such as July 4th celebrations.

On July 27, 1889, Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy signed General Order #374, making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official tune to be played at the raising of the flag.

I was fortunate to have attended a Coastal States Organization meeting in Baltimore, Maryland while I served as Director at DLNR.  I took the time to visit Fort McHenry to better see and understand what it looked like.

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Anthony Allen

The history of the Black presence in Hawaiʻi goes back to the early sailors; Blacks were crewmembers of Cook’s second and third Pacific voyages.

There is a “high likelihood” for the presence of Blacks on many of the ships that crossed the Pacific.  Free and unfree Blacks had been serving onboard these ships in a variety of capacities.

Between about 1820 and 1880, hundreds of whaling ships annually pulled into (primarily) Honolulu and Lāhainā, and a significant number of Blacks stayed behind in the islands and became permanent residents where they worked as cooks, barbers, tailors, sailors on interisland vessels and members of musical groups.

Discussion of early African-American presence in Hawaiʻi usually starts with Anthony D. Allen.  He was born a slave on the German Flats, in New York, in 1774.   At about the age of 24, fearing his old master’s widow (Dougal) might sell him and he would have to leave his mother, he arranged for a new slave master and he was bought for $300.

Shortly thereafter, in 1800, he made a flight for freedom from Schenectady, NY, and made his way to Boston.  He went to work at sea, sailing with the same sea captain for eight years, seven as steward and one as cook.

Many other African Americans worked in the maritime industry during this period as crew members, pilots, cooks, stewards, stevedores, builders and captains. In the coming decades, Americans with African lineage would account for up to 50 percent of the maritime forces. (Scruggs, HJH)

In 1806, he ran into his former slave master and was almost forced back into slavery.  Mr. Coolege, the ship owner on which he worked, agreed to pay the former owner $300; the former owner agreed.

In return, Allen gave Coolege a promissory note to pay him back.  In April 1807, Allen paid the note back.  He spent the next few years sailing across the globe – Boston, France, Haiti, Havana China, Northwest US and eventually, in 1811, Hawaiʻi.

Called Alani by the Native Hawaiians, Allen served as steward to Kamehameha the Great and he acquired a parcel of about six acres.  He married a Hawaiian woman and had three children who survived into adulthood.  (HHS)

He “resided at Waikiki, lived as comfortably, and treated us as courteously, as any who had adopted that country before our arrival.”  (Hiram Bingham)

John Papa ʻĪʻī, a neighbor of Allen, in his testimony confirming rights to the land, told how Allen acquired his land: “The Allens got this land from an old high Priest – Hewa hewa. … this land was given him in the time of ‘’Kamehameha I’.”  (HJH)

By 1820, Allen owned a dozen houses, “within the enclosure were his dwelling, eating and cooking houses, with many more for a numerous train of dependents. There was also a well, a garden containing principally squashes, and in one part, a sheepfold in which was one cow, several sheep, and three hundred goats.”  (Sybil Bingham Journal)

Allen’s land held a variety of business enterprises, including animal husbandry, farming, a boarding house, a hospital, a bowling alley and a grog shop. Besides keeping his own animals, Allen boarded cattle for others.  Allen may have operated the first commercial dairy in Hawaiʻi.

“Waikīkī” was once a vast marshland whose boundaries encompassed more than 2,000-acres (as compared to its present 500-acres below the Ala Wai Canal we call Waikīkī, today).

Allen’s six-acres and home were about two miles from downtown at Pawaʻa, between what we now call Waikīkī and Mānoa at what is now the corner of Punahou and King Streets.  This is where Washington Intermediate School is now situated.  (Washington was the first intermediate school built on Oʻahu; it opened in 1926.)

In addition to his farming, Allen provided overnight accommodations – one of the earliest known hotel uses in Waikīkī.  Several references note his property as a “resort.”  (Hawaiʻi’s first “hotel” may be attributed to Don Francisco de Paula Marin, sometime after 1810 on Marin’s property at Honolulu Harbor.)

Reverend Charles Stewart notes of Allen’s place in his journal, “… it is a favourite resort of the more respectable of the seamen who visit Honoruru. …” With it, he had a popular bowling alley.

He entertained often and made his property available for special occasions.  “King (Kauikeaouli – Kamehameha III) had a Grand Dinner at A. D. Allen’s. The company came up at sunset. Music played very late.”  (Reynolds – Scruggs, HJH)

He even operated a hospital where ill or injured seamen and sea captains were taken ashore to recuperate; however, it is not clear if he had medical training or who else there did.

It appears that Allen helped oversee the construction and maintenance of one of the first improved roads in Honolulu, probably what today is known as Punahou Street, which becomes Mānoa Road.

In the “… valley of Manoa … this afternoon Mr. Bingham drove me in a wagon to it. There is now a good carriage road … as far as the country house of Kaahumanu … five miles from Honolulu.” (Reynolds, Scruggs, HJH)

Allen, the former slave, died of a stroke on December 31, 1835, leaving behind a considerable fortune to his children.

In tribute to Allen, Reverend John Diell noted, “The last sun of the departed year went down upon the dying bed of another man who has long resided upon the island. He was a colored man, but shared, to a large extent, in the respect of this whole community. …”

“He has been a pattern of industry and perseverance, and of care for the education of his children. … In justice to his memory, and to my own feelings, I must take this opportunity to acknowledge the many expressions of kindness which we received from him from the moment of our arrival.”

The image shows an 1874 map (Waikiki DAGS Reg-797-(portion)) that notes the property owned by Anthony D Allen.

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by Peter T Young 1 Comment

The Cathedral of Saint Andrew

Saint Andrew’s Cathedral is a branch of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church; belonging to the Anglican Communion (also called “Episcopal” in the United States and Scotland).

Kamehameha IV and his Queen Emma rejoiced at the birth of their son, Albert Kauikeaouli Leiopapa a Kamehameha, on May 20, 1858.

They were both very interested in the Anglican/Episcopal Church and in 1859 asked Queen Victoria to send them clergy of the Church of England. In part, they wished their young son to be baptized and “be instructed in the fundamentals of Church of England worship.”

In 1861, the King and Queen gave land, part of their royal garden, on which a Cathedral was to be built. While planning and fund-raising began a small Pro-Cathedral was constructed of wood on the corner of Nuʻuanu and Kuakini Streets in 1862.

This would remain in use for more than twenty years, the time it would take for the first phase of the cathedral to reach completion.

Thomas Staley was consecrated in England to become the first Bishop of Hawaiʻi. In anticipation of the arrival of the Bishop, the King translated much of the Book of Common Prayer into the Hawaiian language.

After the Bishop’s arrival in Honolulu, the King and Queen were baptized and confirmed in the Anglican Church. (This was the second baptism for each; in their childhood they had been baptized in the Calvinist faith.)

The first services of the church were held on October 12, 1862 (150-years ago today,) amidst a time of mourning for the young Prince of Hawaiʻi, the only son of the King and Queen who died shortly before the arrival of the Bishop.

The subsequent untimely death of King Kamehameha IV on St. Andrew’s Day, November 30, 1863, led his brother, Lot (King Kamehameha V) to dedicate the cathedral to St. Andrew as a fitting memorial to a King.

Queen Emma proceeded alone to lead the project. She traveled to England to raise money, to commission architects, and to purchase stone from Caen in Normandy, which was shipped to Hawaiʻi as ballast in sailing ships.

The corner stone was laid March 5, 1867 by King Kamehameha V and work was begun on the foundation and choir sections of the building (he viewed building the cathedral as a tribute to his brother.)

The first twenty years were a struggle with and for money, materials and men, but with the aid of supporters, the nave (the main body and central approach to the high altar) of the cathedral was completed in time for Christmas, 1886.

Queen Emma did not live to worship in the Cathedral. She had died the previous year on St. Mark’s Day, 1885.

The first two bays of the building were completed in 1902 and the building was consecrated at that time. Also in that year, the Church of England deemed it appropriate to transfer its responsibility for the church in Hawaiʻi to the Episcopal Church of the United States.

In 1908, a plan for a tower in the same gothic style as the church was conceived and it was dedicated in 1912. It was not until 1958 that the final two bays of the nave were completed, along with the entrance area, vestibule and the Great West Window.

The new Anglican Church in Hawaii was called the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church, indicative of the evolution of the Church of England of the time. The name would change in 1870 to the Anglican Church in Hawaii.

Kamehameha IV and his Queen Emma dedicated their marriage to serving the health, educational and spiritual needs of their people.

To these ends they founded The Queen’s Hospital (now The Queen’s Medical Center), several schools, including The St Andrew’s Priory School and St. Albans (now ʻIolani School), and were instrumental in bringing the Anglican church to the islands.

While St. Andrew’s Cathedral was begun in what has been called the Golden Age of the Hawaiian monarchy, it continued through the upheaval of the overthrow of the monarchy, garnering in those troubled times the allegiance of both Queen Liliʻuokalani, Hawaiʻi’s last monarch, and Sanford Dole, President of the Republic of Hawaiʻi.

Queen Liliʻuokalani took on Queen Emma’s role as a visible and energetic leader in the work of the church, moving into the twentieth century.

In the Hawaiian tradition, two red and yellow kahili stand at the front of the cathedral, serving as physical reminders of the royal patrons of the cathedral.

Historically, there were two congregations. One congregation was at first composed of Hawaiian-speaking worshipers, and the other was composed of English-speaking worshipers. The Hawaiian language is still used in some of the services.

In 2002, the Royal Patrons Chapel was created, the Wahi Kapu, or Sacred Space, dedicated to the memory of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma.

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Park Street Church

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), based in Boston, was founded in 1810, the first organized missionary society in the US.

“Messrs. Hiram Bingham and Asa Thurston, from the Andover Theological Seminary, were ordained as missionaries at Goshen, Conn., on the 29th of September, 1819. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Heman Humphrey, afterwards President of Amherst College, from Joshua xiii. 1: ‘There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.’”

“Besides these, the mission contained a physician. Dr. Holman; two schoolmasters, Messrs. Whitney and Ruggles; a printer, Mr. Loomis; and a farmer, Mr. Chamberlain. All these were married men, and the farmer took with him his five children.”

“The members of the mission, at the time of receiving their public instructions from the Board in Park-Street Church, were organized into a mission church, including the three islanders. There existed then no doubt as to the expediency of such a step.” (Anderson, 1872)

“Within two weeks after the ordination in Goshen, the missionary company assembled in Boston, to receive their instructions and embark.”

“There, in the vestry of Park Street Church, under the counsels of the officers of the Board, Dr. S. Worcester, Dr. J. Morse, J. Evarts, Esq., and others, the little pioneer band was, on the 15th of Oct., 1819, organized into a Church for transplantation. The members renewed their covenant, and publicly subscribed with their hands unto the Lord, and united in a joyful song (Happy Day).”

“In these solemn and memorable transactions, the parties cherished the delightful expectation, that the prayer then offered by one of the Missionaries, ‘that this vine might be transplanted and strike its roots deep in the Sandwich Islands, and send forth its branches and its fruits till it should fill the land,’ would not only be heard in Heaven, but ere long, be graciously answered to the joy of the Hawaiian people, and of their friends throughout Christendom.”

“The object for which the missionaries felt themselves impelled to visit the Hawaiian race, was to honor God, by making known his will, and to benefit those heathen tribes, by making them acquainted with the way of life, – to turn them from their follies and crimes, idolatries and oppressions, to the service and enjoyment of the living God, and adorable Redeemer, – to give them the Bible in their own tongue, with ability to read it for themselves, – to introduce and extend among them the more to fill the habitable parts of those important islands with schools and churches, fruitful fields, and pleasant dwellings.”

“To do this, not only were the Spirit and power of the Highest required, – for, ‘Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it,’ but, since he will not build his spiritual house, unless his laborers build it, the preacher and translator, the physician, the farmer, the printer, the catechist, and schoolmaster, the Christian wife and mother, the female teacher of heathen wives, mothers, and children, were also indispensable.”

“Nor could this work be reasonably expected to be done by a few laborers only, at few and distant points, and in the face of all the opposition which Satan and WIcked men would, if possible, naturally array against them.”

“In conformity with the judgment of the Prudential Committee, the pioneer missionary company consisted of two ordained preachers and translators, a physician, two schoolmasters and catechists, a printer and a farmer, the wives of the seven, and three Hawaiians.” (Bingham)

Instructions from the ABCFM

The Prudential Committee of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM,) In giving instructions to missionaries headed to the Hawaiian Islands, noted (in part:)

“Dearly Beloved in the Lord, The present is a moment of deep interest to you, and to us all. You are now on the point, the most of you, of leaving your country, and your kindred, and your father’s houses, and committing yourselves, under Providence, to the winds and the waves, for conveyance to far distant Islands of the Sea, there to spend the remainder of your day”

“It is for no private end, for no earthly object that you go. It is wholly for the good of others, and for the glory of God our Saviour.”

“Your views are not to be limited to a low, narrow scale, but you are to open your hearts wide, and set your marks high. You are to aim at nothing short of covering these islands with fruitful fields, and pleasant dwellings and schools and churches, and of Christian civilization; of bringing, or preparing the means of bringing, thousands and millions of the present and succeeding generations to the mansions of eternal blessedness.”

“You are to abstain from all interferarnce with the local and political interests of the people. The kingdom of Christ is not of this world, and it especially behoves a missionary to stand aloof from the private and transient interests of chiefs and rulers. Inculcate the duties of justice, moderation, forbearance, truth and universal kindness. Do all in your power to make men of every class good, wise and happy.”

“The points of especial and essential importance to all missionaries, and all persons engaged in the missionary work are four: — Devotedness to Christ; subordination to rightful direction; unity one with another; and benevolence towards the objects of their mission.”

Park Street Church

The beginnings of Park Street Church date to 1804 when a ‘Religious Improvement Society’ began holding weekly lectures and prayer meetings in Boston. (Congregational Library)

In 1809, fourteen men and twelve women founded the Church. At that time, Thomas Jefferson was completing his second term in office, many other heroes of the American Revolution, including Paul Revere and John and Abigail Adams, were still alive. Only 15-states, all east of the Mississippi River, had joined the Union. The population of Boston was not quite 34,000. (Rosell)

Park Street Church was the tallest building in the city from the time it was built (1810) until 1867 (prior to that, the Old North Church was taller). Before the water surrounding Boston was filled in to create Back Bay and other neighborhoods, someone arriving by water could see the steeple from all directions. (Park Street Church)

Park Street Church quickly became the site of significant historical events including the founding of the Handel and Haydn Society in 1815, the American Temperance Society in 1826, the Animal Rescue League in 1889, and the NAACP in 1910. It also served to host William Lloyd Garrison’s first anti-slavery speech in 1829 and Charles Sumner’s famous address, ‘The War System of Nations’, in 1849. (Congregational Library)

On July 4, 1831, Park Street Church Sunday school children performed America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) for the very first time. The tune – which you might recognize also as God Save the Queen – was adapted by Park Street organist, Lowell Mason, to fit the lyrics penned by Samuel Francis Smith. Listen here to the congregation of Park Street Church sing this hymn.

Click HERE for Park Street Church My Country Tis of Thee.

Above text is a summary – Click HERE for more information on Park Street Church

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Park Street Church-tallest building in Boston until 1867-ParkStreetChurch
Park Street Church-tallest building in Boston until 1867-ParkStreetChurch
Park Street Church Boston_ca1890-WC
Park Street Church Boston_ca1890-WC
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Overview of Common, with Park St. Church (left) 1850-WC
Overview of Common, with Park St. Church (left) 1850-WC
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ParkStreetChurchInterior-2007-WC

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Hawaiʻi’s First Skyscraper

At six stories, the Stangenwald building was considered Hawaii’s first skyscraper and one of the most prestigious addresses in Honolulu.

Designed by noted architect Charles William Dickey, construction of the steel-frame and brick building began in 1900 and the building was completed in 1901.

The Stangenwald Building melds Italian Renaissance Revival elements and a hint of the Romanesque Revival Style with arched windows, terra cotta ornaments, and a wide balcony with fine grillwork above the entrance.

Dr. Hugo Stangenwald, the “student revolutionist, Austrian émigré, able practicing physician, and recognized early-day daguerreotype artist (photographic process,)” left Austria in March 1845. After living in California, he arrived in Honolulu in 1853. He married the former Mary Dimond in 1854.

He opened a shop in late-1854 in a one-story frame structure on the site of the present Stangenwald building. His advertisement was well-known: “To send to them that precious boon, And have your picture taken soon, And quick their weeping eyes they’ll wipe To smile upon your daguerreotype.”

Stangenwald bought the Merchant Street property in 1869 and formed a partnership with his fellow-physician neighbor, Dr. Judd.

In January, 1899, Stangenwald leased his property to a hui, a limited partnership firm which was to lease his property from him and erect a building there to match the quality of the Judd Building (1898) next door.

Though the project was named for the well-known physician and photographer, Stangenwald had little to do with it.  He died in June of that year.

The hui sold its interest in the land to the Pacific Building Company, newly formed to finance the project.

The building’s earliest occupants were lawyers, many of whom were in the hui and so had a vested interest in the building, so that early conceptions of the building included a law library and a Business Men’s Club, though neither were realized in the final building.

The Stangenwald Building’s steel frame supported a decorative structure, “with dark terra cotta and pressed metal trimmings and cornice, massive in design yet promising a pleasing effect. This building is of the most modern style of fire-proof architecture, designed with completeness of office conveniences equal to that of any city.”

Honolulu’s business community seemed to agree, for its prestigious address was claimed by several of Honolulu’s most prominent company names: The Henry Waterhouse Trust Company, BF Dillingham, Castle and Cooke, Alexander & Baldwin and C Brewer Companies.

It was part of downtown redevelopment plan and construction boom in the wake of the terrible Chinatown fire that destroyed blocks of buildings in 1900.

The Stangenwald remained the tallest structure until 1950, when the seven-story Edgewater Hotel in Waikīkī took over that title.

The building defined Honolulu’s skyline for more than 60 years and it was not until the 19-story First National Bank of Hawaiʻi Building was constructed in 1962 that Honolulu’s downtown would break the six-story mark (the only exceptions being the spires of Aloha Tower (1926) and Honolulu Hale (1929.))

Renovated periodically throughout its life – including alterations to the original ornate cornice, the Stangenwald was the subject of a major rehabilitation in 1980.

Today, the building is home to several architectural firms and the American Institute of Architects (founded in 1926, with Dickey as its inaugural president.)

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