Hawaii | Page 358 | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

October 14, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Gifts from President Andrew Jackson

Captain Finch having chosen to avail himself of Mr. Bingham’s services as interpreter, requested him to take a seat at his side, and then rising, read to the king the following address : —

“King Tamehameha, The President of the United States has confided to my care a written communication for yourself, and such counsellors as you rely upon, accompanying it with various presents for each …”

“… in testimony of the good opinion he entertains of you individually, and to evince his desire for amity and confidence, in all intercourse that may subsist between your people and my countrymen.”

“That the genuineness of the letter may not be questioned, which might have been the case, if the transmission had been entrusted to casual conveyance, and to make it the more honourable to yourself, he has despatched a ship of war for this and other purposes …”

“… and it is enjoined upon me as the commander, to deliver it in person into your keeping, to reiterate the expressions of goodwill which it contains, and to exhibit, by my own deportment, the sincerity of the motives which has actuated him.”

“The friendly and kind reception afforded by your government to one other of our national ships, the Peacock, has been most favourably represented by her commander, and doubtless has conduced greatly to the visit which I now make.”

“The improved state of your people has also been so interestingly described by one of your friends, the Rev Mr. Stewart, now beside me, as to awaken among my countrymen at large, great benevolence of feeling towards you …”

“… and it will be my study, and I trust I shall be warranted on my return among them, to strengthen their prepossessions in your favour, and to confirm the accounts of the good traits of the character of our new acquaintances, the islanders subject to your authority.”

“With your leave, I will now acquit myself of the pleasing duty devolving upon me, by reading and handing the document adverted to, which illustrates the light in which the President wishes to hold your nation; and upon which you will, I hope, ponder often, deliberately, and fully.”

“The presents I also ask permission to distribute amongst those of your faithful friends for whom they are intended, trusting that they will tend to the enlargement of knowledge, invite to social and rational enjoyments, and further secure enduring recollections of the assurances which I give of the disinterested friendship of the President and government of the United States. W. C. B. Finch, October 14th, 1829.”

Mr. Bingham having read a translation of this in the Hawaiian tongue, Captain Finch proceeded in the perusal of the document from the government:

“To Tamehameha III. King of the Sandwich Islands.
“Navy Department of the United States of America, City of Washington, 20th January, A.D. 1829.”

“By the approbation and direction of the President of the United States, I address you this letter, and send it by the hands of Captain William Compton Bolton Finch, an officer in our navy, commanding the ship of war Vincennes.”

“Captain Finch also bears to you, from the President, certain small tokens of regard for yourself, and the chiefs who are near to you, and is commanded to express to you, in his name, the anxious desire which he feels for your prosperity and advancement in the arts of civilized life, and for the cultivation of harmony and good-will between your nation and the people of the United States.”

“He has heard, with interest and admiration, of the rapid progress which has been made by your people in acquiring a knowledge of letters and of the true religion – the religion of the Christian’s Bible.”

“These are the best, and the only means, by which the prosperity and happiness of nations can be advanced and continued; and the President, and all men every where who wish well to yourself and your people, earnestly hope that you will continue to cultivate them, and to protect and encourage those by whom they are brought to you.”

“The President also anxiously hopes, that peace, and kindness, and justice, will prevail between your people and those citizens of the United States who visit your islands, and that the regulations of your government will be such as to enforce them upon all.”

“Our citizens who violate your laws, or interfere with your regulations, violate at the same time their duty to their own government and country, and merit censure and punishment. We have heard with pain, that this has sometimes been the case, and we have sought to know and to punish those who are guilty.”

“Captain Finch is commanded diligently to inquire into the conduct of our citizens whom he may find at the islands, and, as far as he has the authority, to ensure proper conduct and deportment from them.”

“The President hopes, however, that there are very few who so act as to deserve censure or punishment, and, for all others, he solicits the kindness and protection of your government, that their interests may be promoted, and every facility given to them in the transaction of their business.”

“Among others, he bespeaks your favour to those who have taken up their residence with you, to promote the cause of religion and learning in your islands.”

“He does not doubt that their motives are pure, and their objects most friendly to the happiness of your people, and that they will so con duct themselves as to merit the protecting kindness of your government.

“One of their number, the Rev. C. S. Stewart, who resided for some time with you, has received the favour of his government in an appointment to an office of religion in our navy, and will visit you in company with Captain Finch.”

“The President salutes you with respect, and wishes you peace, happiness, and prosperity. Saml. L. Southard, Secretary to the Navy.”

“This also was immediately made intelligible to the king and chiefs, by a translation in the native language, read by Mr. Bingham.”

“Both documents were listened to with intense interest. I never before saw Kaahumanu more excited. She seemed scarce able to command her feelings, and, before Mr. Southard’s letter was finished, her eyes were filled with tears.”

“‘Maitai—maitai no!’ ‘Good—good indeed!’ uttered with the quick tone in which he usually speaks when pleased, was the hasty comment of the king, while the females re-echoed the approbation, ‘Maitai no—maitai no!’”

“The servants having charge of the presents were now called, and these placed before the king. A pair of globes, celestial and terrestrial, and a large map of the United States, for himself …”

“… a silver vase, inscribed with the arms of the United States, and her name, for the regent; two silver goblets, with inscriptions of a similar character, for the princess; and two large maps of the world, one for Governor Boki, and the other for Governor Adams.” (Stewart)

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October 13, 2018 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Moʻomomi

Kaumaha i ka naulu Kaluakoi.
Laden with the summer showers is Kaluakoi.
(Kaluakoi gets rain only in the summer time.) (McElroy)

Kaluakoʻi is the largest ahupuaʻa, or land division, on the island of Molokai. With regard to ahupuaʻa, Lyons asserts that, “in populous portions the sub-division was very minute” (1875.)

Consequently, the size of the Kaluakoʻi ahupuaʻa would suggest a small population for this part of Molokai, a situation borne out by the archaeological record.

The ahupuaʻa of Kaluakoʻi literally means, the “the adze pit.” In this ahupuaʻa, high quality basalt was used to make adzes and other tools. It is well known that lithic quarries occurred on select sites in the area, notably on the summit of Maunaloa at ʻAmikopala, and on northwest Molokai at Moʻomomi and ʻIlio Point. (McElroy)

West Molokai is roughly two million years old and its long dormancy has allowed a deep lateritic soil to develop that covers most of the region. “The Desert Strip,” was coined by Chester Wentworth, who described this extensive dune system as a “barren windswept country in which eolian features are developed with exceptional clarity and vigor”.

The dominant northeast trade winds have blown sand from Moʻomomi almost completely across the northwest corner of the island creating an expansive stretch of sand dunes. The Hawaiians called this same area Keonelele, or “the flying sand.”

The main part of the Moʻomomi Dunes probably was formed during the latest ice age, when sea level was low and the reefs now submerged offshore were dry and feeding sand into the wind. Since then, slightly acidic rain has cemented some of the sand into hard limestone. (McElroy)

A recent study found that 40% of Molokai families’ food came from subsistence activities. The Hoʻolehua Hawaiian Homestead community on Molokai relies heavily for subsistence on the inshore marine resources of the Moʻomomi fishery, which falls within a twelve-mile stretch of coastline along Molokai’s north shore. (Kohala Center)

Coastal fisheries are facing severe depletion and overexploitation on a global scale and Hawai‘i is no exception.

Hui Malama o Moʻomomi cares for the land and nearshore waters along the Moʻomomi Coast on the island of Molokai. Protection of this place is to assure a reliable food source; as the community is very much subsistence-based, the ocean is their “ice box.”

Co-founder of the Hui Malama o Moʻomomi, Mac Poepoe, led the way toward educating others about the coastal resources found in Moʻomomi Bay and pono (proper) behaviors that ensure not only familial but community subsistence.

Poepoe established Hui Mālama o Moʻomomi in 1993 in order to teach younger generations the ancient practices of traditional Hawaiian fishing and how to become responsible marine citizens.

It is a local marine subsistence/sustainability grassroots organization, assisting with management on the state’s Hawaiian Homelands. The Hui oversees marine subsistence gathering and sustainability practices.

Important management lessons to learn from this are to recognize natural rhythms, do not disturb basic renewal processes, monitor (moon, season, habitat, etc) and understand the resource. As a foundation to this, we need to recognize the interconnected link between the land and the ocean.

Community-based management in the Mo‘omomi area involves observational processes and problem-solving strategies for the purpose of conservation. The system is not articulated in the manner of Western science, but relies instead on mental models.

These models foster a practical understanding of local inshore resource dynamics by the fishing community and, thus, lend credibility to unwritten standards for fishing conduct. The “code of conduct” is concerned with how people fish rather than how much they catch. (Poepoe)

Through Poepoe’s efforts, almost single-handedly, they rejuvenated Moʻomomi Beach by controlling erosion, reintroduced native plants and monitored fish populations. The beach is now rich with vegetation, and the moi are as big as small-kid time. (Cooke)

A code of conduct on appropriate behavior was designed to be true to Hawaiian values, to consider the community’s culture and be biologically sound for resource sustainability.
• Rule 1 – Take only what you need. Share your catch with others.
• Rule 2 – Reserve inshore areas for children and novice swimmers and fishermen.
• Rule 3 – Education. Utilize traditional practices and science-based methods.
• Rule 4 – Community governing board.
• Rule 5 – Malama. Care for the land; care for the people; care for all things; understand the land with the ocean.

Community members are joining with state officials to develop a designation for Molokai’s north shoreline that would sustainably support marine resources, protect traditional fishing practices, prohibit commercial harvest and facilitate community involvement in resource management decisions. (Molokai Dispatch)

The group is looking to organize a Community-based Subsistence Fishing Area along the Northwest Coast of Molokai, including Moʻomomi.

Nearby land-based management is underway through The Nature Conservancy (TNC.) Mo‘omomi Preserve was established in June of 1988 to protect the most intact coastal sand dune ecosystem in the main Hawaiian Islands.

The westernmost coastline of the preserve is characterized by sea cliffs; the remainder of the two‐mile long coastline consists of windswept sand beaches, and dunes.

The upper dune area of the preserve is known as Keonelele, “the flying sands”. Portions of the preserve dunes are lithified (sand dunes that become solidified) and are distinct in geological appearance and native strand. (TNC)

Moʻomomi is a nesting location for wedge-tailed shearwater seabirds, or ʻuaʻu kani in Hawaiian. TNC is taking an active role in protecting these ground-nesting birds from feral cats and dogs, as well as promoting scientific study.

Moʻomomi is a breeding and nesting area for the Hawaiian green sea turtle, or honu in Hawaiian, and they are actively monitored by TNC staff and volunteers. It is believed that the females return to lay eggs on the same beach where she was hatched and may live as long as 100 years, though its life span is not known for sure. (McElroy)

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Moomomi-Rogers

Hui_Malama_o_Mo’omomi_by_MolokaiPhotography

moomomi-beach

Cave at Moomomi Preserve, Molokai

Moomomi TickleMePick

Kawa’aloa Beach Mo’omomi Moloka’i-kyle

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Moomomi_TickleMePick

Moomomi

Moomomi-TickleMePick

Land_Office_Map_of_the_Island_of_Molokai,_Hawaii_-_Geographicus_-_1897-portion-Kaluakoi-W_Molokai

1897_Land_Office_Map_of_the_Island_of_Molokai,_Hawaii_-_Geographicus_-_1897

October 12, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Two Rival Houses

Kamā‘ule‘ule, later known as ‘Iliopunahele and eventually as Boki, was the child of Kekuamanohā and Kamakahukilani. Through his father he was a grandson of the Maui king. Kekaulike, and was a first cousin of Ka‘ahumanu.

Kamā‘ule‘ule, literally ‘the dispirited one’, was a reference to the fainting spells of Kahekili which were occurring around the time of Boki’s birth. As a close companion of Kamehameha he was called ‘Iliopunahele, or ‘favorite dog’.

His name was changed to Boki after Kamehameha met with a large American dog named Boss, the Hawaiian pronunciation of Boss, and was the name by which Kama’ule’ule was known throughout the rest of his history. (Nogelmeier)

During the missionaries’ first years in Hawai’i, Boki’s relationship with the mission was similar to that of his fellow chiefs. Although he and his brother, Kalanimoku, were already baptized prior to the arrival of the American Protestant mission, their involvement with the church was no more enthusiastic than that of the chiefs in general.

Boki provided land for the mission in Honolulu and erected houses for the use of the church, all in accordance with the king’s approval of their residence there. He attended occasional services and expressed interest in study of the bible, even agreeing to daily instruction for a time. (Nogelmeier)

Boki accompanied Liholiho and his entourage to England; Liholiho died, and they returned in 1825. “After an hour or two, the whole company proceeded to the residence of Karaimoku – who was too unwell to go out – near the Mission House: and shortly afterwards to the chapel, to attend prayers, and tender thanks to God for the interesting incident of the day.”

“Before leaving the chapel, Governor Boki delivered a short but excellent address, recommending, as the result of his observation and experience abroad, a renewed and devoted attention to the palapala and the pule—letters and religion.” (Stewart)

“This was a happy moment for Boki to make his report on the question most immediately connected with our business, or the trustworthiness of Christianity. In a short address he expressed his conviction of the truth of the Christian religion, and recommended attention to the palapala and the service of God.”

“In a more free conversation in the evening, he said the ‘King of Beritania,’ with whom he was honored to have a personal interview, after the death of the king and queen, told him to give good attention to the missionaries at the islands, for they were sent to enlighten them and do them good, and make them acquainted with the good Word of God.” (Bingham)

Boki’s ties to the British and his involvement in trade placed him in conflict with his fellow chiefs’ growing acceptance of the American Protestant Christianity. (Nogelmeier)

After his return from England (when Liholiho and his wife died), Boki appeared to fit harmoniously with the changes that were taking place. His experiences on the journey to England and King George’s support for Christianity had made a strong impression on him. He called for prayer immediately on landing at Maui and attended service again at O‘ahu. (Nogelmeier)

“In May, 1827, she charged Boki, Liliha and several members of the king’s train with misconduct, intemperance, fornication, and adultery, and had them fined—just a few days after the facile Boki had told Levi Chamberlain that he wanted to turn to the pono (the good) and that the king had acquired a Christian teacher.” (Daws)

In spite of his stormy relationships with Ka‘ahumanu and his alienation from the church, Boki cooperated on projects that he felt was for the betterment of his people.

He provided support for the missionaries in the way of buildings, land and labor, long after he had become disgruntled with their religion. He collaborated on the provision of schools for the populace, in his own districts of ‘Ewa and Wai‘anae and throughout the island. (Nogelmeier)

“Among the Hawaiian aristocracy there are two rival families, like the houses of York and Lancaster. Governor Boki represents the claims of one, and our good queen the other.”

“Both claim the guardianship of the young king, Kauikeaouli, and are equally anxious for paramount influence, but with widely different views”

“The governor has visited foreign lands. He is ambitious to gain the influence of the resident foreign traders, and the captains of ships to his party.” (Judd)

“Using his position as governor of Oahu to conscript labour, he plunged into the sandalwood trade. Later, he speculated in local and foreign trade, sugar-making, tavern-keeping, and commercialised prostitution. None of these businesses except the last was profitable.” (Daws)

“Ka‘ahumanu, on the other hand, is anxious to lighten the burdens of the people. She makes frequent tours around the islands, assembling them at each hamlet, exhorting them to forsake every heathen custom, learn to read, and listen to the teachings of God’s word and law.”

“She watches the young king with the solicitude of a tender mother, weeping and rejoicing alternately, as he yields to, or resists, temptation to wrong-doing.” (Judd)

“By 1829, both (Boki) and his country were deeply in debt to foreigners. Always a gambler, Boki made a desperate throw to redeem his fortunes by taking an expedition to the Southwest Pacific to search for sandalwood.” (Daws)

Boki attempted to recover by assembling a group of followers and set out for a newly discovered island with sandalwood in the New Hebrides. Boki fitted out two ships, the Kamehameha and the Becket, put on board some five hundred of his followers, and sailed south. Boki and two hundred and fifty of his men apparently died at sea.

Boki’s disappearance, along with hundreds of his supporters, did weaken and eventually bring about a complete closure to the only remaining indigenous opposition to the puritan government of Ka‘ahumanu and her missionary advisors. The changes that followed his disappearance led to an entrenchment of mission interests and American ties. (Nogelmeier)

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Two Rival Houses-Kaahumanu-Boki

October 11, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Silk

“Kōloa is, and always has been, a delightful place, with a natural situation that has made it a most charming spot. The line of hills against the skyline is broken only by the gap on the way to Lihue.”

“These hills, while protecting the lowlands from the trade winds that blow across the island, attract enough rain clouds to insure the water supply.”

“There are several interesting volcanic cones, three of which, at least, have a close connection with Kōloa’s past. On the slopes of Puu o Hewa, the hill on the Lawai side of the road to Līhu‘e, may be seen the marks of an ancient holua slide.”

“On the other side of the road almost opposite Puu o Hewa are two companion hills known as Mauna Kilika (apparently Kahoano and Kumanumanu). The name is all that survives of an attempt to cultivate silk on this site nearly a century ago.” (Judd)

“A number of attempts have been made to establish a silk industry in Hawaii at intervals … when the first mulberry plantings were made on the Island of Kauai.”

“The silkworm is a temperate-zone insect and although it can be successfully reared in the warmer portions of the islands, the cultivation is only uniformly successful in the cooler zone above 2,000 feet where climatic conditions approach those of more northern countries.”

“The food of the silkworm, the mulberry, thrives from sea level up to 4,000 feet. The experiment station has introduced and is propagating varieties of mulberries which are considered the best for silk production.” (Philippine Agricultural Review, 1908)

In 1835, Ladd & Company, secured tenancy rights to a tract of land near Kōloa on Kauai for silk and sugar culture. (Cultural Surveys)

“The success of Ladd & Co. drew other white men with independent capital to Kōloa to try their own efforts at making a profit in agriculture. The most ambitious attempt was made by Charles Titcomb and Sherman Peck.”

“In 1836 they leased about 300 acres from Ladd & Co. and proceeded to experiment in silk culture. Later they were joined by James Jackson Jarves and JFB Marshall, two men well-known in Hawaiian history.”

“The partners were all young, energetic men determined to spare no money or effort to make the enterprise a success. They planted thousands of mulberry trees, both native and foreign varieties, to be sure of a continuous supply of leaves as food for the silk worms, which were imported from China and America.”

“The mulberry trees were planted in rows ten feet apart and two feet separate in the row. It was found that the trees after being plucked took but a short six weeks to leaf out again so completely that they could not be told from the ones that had not been stripped.” (Judd)

Sereno Bishop wrote, that at the age of eleven, in 1838, he visited the home of Rev. PJ Gulick at Kōloa, Kauai, where he saw silkworms fed and silk reeled in Mr. Gulick’s own house.”

“At the same time. Mr. Titcomb had a considerable plantation of mulberry-trees in the vicinity, and was breeding silkworms and reeling silk on considerable scale. The missionary, Gulick, certainly favored the undertaking.”

“Mr. Hooper was at the same time conducting a small sugar plantation at the same place; and much was said about the immense advantage it was to the natives to be able to earn twelve and half cents a day by their labor, as they could do nowhere else in the Islands except in the sea-ports.” (SE Bishop; The Friend, July 1903)

“Mr. Peck spent the winter of 1838-39 in New England to learn more about the silk business. He also bought machinery for reeling by steam and engaged ‘a family of three persons’ to superintend the cocooneries and to teach the natives to reel silk.”

“At this time, because of the mild climate at Kōloa and the cheapness of labor and buildings, the outlook was so favorable that Mr. Peck could have sold the business at a two hundred per cent profit.”

“The preliminary experimentation had been so promising that ultimate success seemed certain. Another company was formed in 1839, by John Stetson who had as his associates Asa Rogers and James Lindsey. These men made an agreement with Ladd & Co. for a sub-lease of 150 acres bounded on the south by Waihohonu stream.”

“The next year, 1840, was expected to be a banner year and to show profits which would fully pay for the investments made.”

“But it proved otherwise. An extreme drought followed by continued high winds killed the mulberry trees. A heavy financial loss resulted. This reverse on top of previous set-backs was too much for Peck and Company, who had over-expanded.”

“Mr. Peck left for Lahaina in 1841, to enter business there. After five years of success, he went to the United States but returned to Hawaii in 1859 as senior partner of C. Brewer & Company.”

“Mr. Titcomb stayed on at Kōloa, for a number of months and did not abandon his efforts until his entire crop of silkworms was lost by a disease aggravated by wet weather.”

“He then moved to Hanalei, where he had been conducting experiments for some time. Later, after losing several thousand dollars, in the enterprise, he turned his attention to growing coffee. Stetson and Company continued at Kōloa, until the end of 1842 when they, also, were forced to admit failure.” (Judd)

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Silkworms and their favorite food, mulberry leaves

October 9, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

The Mansion

“(I)n 1893, a placard was discovered hanging on one of the now padlocked gates of the property, the warning consisting of a skull and cross-bones, across which, written in red ink, were the words …”

“’Gold and Silver Cannot Stop Lead.’”

“This, added to the chagrin of being thwarted politically, resulted in the departure on the next Oceanic liner to leave for San Francisco of the whole Spreckels family.” (Advertiser, December 27, 1893) He vowed “not to return until Lili‘uokalani was seated upon the throne”. (Advertiser, April 3, 1904)

“Claus Spreckels, the Sugar King,… was for many years, intimately connected with the political and industrial history of Hawaii.”

“He was … connected in many important ways with the commercial and industrial life of the Islands, and he had, during the thirty-two years since he first extended his interest to the Mid-Pacific, rendered great services to the leading industry of this Territory.” (Hawaiian Gazette, December 29, 1908)

The career of the “sugar king” of California, Hawaiʻi and the American West consisted of building and breaking monopolies in sugar, transport, gas, electricity, real estate, newspapers, banks and breweries.

His first business venture was beer brewing, founding the Albany Brewery, together with his brother Peter Spreckels and Claus Mangels, among others; it was the first large-scale producer of beer in San Francisco.

He sold his beer operation in 1863 and switched to sugar, starting the Bay Sugar Refining Company. After selling that, he constructed the California Sugar Refinery in 1867 to process sugar, introducing the European process of packaging granulated sugar and sugar cubes (so customers could more easily divide the portions.)

In 1878, through his friendship with King Kalākaua, Claus Spreckels secured a lease of 40,000-acres of land on Maui and by 1882 he acquired the fee simple title to the Wailuku ahupuaʻa. He then founded the Hawaiian Commercial Company, which quickly became the largest and best-equipped sugar plantation in the islands.

Needing transportation to move his Hawaiʻi sugar for refining on the continent, his sons formed JD Spreckels & Bros. shipping line in 1879, which was incorporated as the Oceanic Steamship Company in 1881. (It became a subsidiary of Matson in 1926.)

It was the first line to offer regular service between Honolulu and San Francisco, and his sons managed to reduce travel time immensely. While the sailing ship Claus Spreckels made a record run of less than ten days in 1879, by 1883 the new steam vessel Mariposa needed less than six days.

Claus Spreckels was a controversial figure. For friends, he was a man “with a fine presence, an open, pleasant countenance and a cheerful word for everybody.” Others, however, characterized him as impatient, implacable and ruthless, driven by “Dutch obstinacy.” (Spiekermann)

Hawaiʻi served as only one of the venues for the Spreckels holdings. During the 1880s and early 1890s, he bought and built up several blocks of office buildings in San Francisco.

Back in the Islands, “Claus Spreckels was advocating the restoration of the monarchy, after the formation of the Provisional Government in 1893. He was a warm Royalist, and some one suggested in a joking manner that it would help the cause if Spreckels was put out of the way.”

“The sugar magnate heard the story and became alarmed at the threat. His alarm was intensified a few days later when, coming out of the gate of his Punahou street residence, he found a warning signal staring him in the face.” (Advertiser, April 3, 1904)

“In leaving Honolulu as he did, Mr Spreckels demonstrated his own faith in the belief that the condition he named for his return might be some day met with, by simply closing up his beautiful mansion on Punahou street and refusing to either sell or lease it.”

“The house has been opened since that time, however, once on the occasion of a visit here of his son, John D Spreckels, and later, a few years ago, when the Sugar King and his wife returned to pay a visit to Honolulu.”

“The mansion, erected on a tract of Punahou property purchased from O‘ahu College (Punahou,) was for many years the finest private residence in the city, being the only second to that of the King’s palace.”

“For years, until the hundreds of palms and other trees set out by the owner grew so as to practically hide the residence, the white three-story house of the Sugar King was one of the things pointed out to, tourists as a Honolulu landmark.” (Advertiser, December 27, 1893)

This wasn’t Spreckels’ only mansion, “Claus Spreckels has just bought a large block pf property on the swell part of Van Ness avenue and intends to build a magnificent mansion there (in San Francisco.)”

“Every one who knows Mr. Spreckels knows that he has long been casting his eye on Van Ness avenue with a view to buying a fine place of residence property.”

“It has taken him a long time to make up his mind, but he has made it up now, and as a result frontage on the owns the largest avenue of any property owner from Market to Union, and where ex-Alcalde Burr has blocked the march of progress.”

“When Mr. Spreckels does a thing he does it – and that’s what has happened in this case. He has gone in for residence property on Van Ness avenue, and has gone in for it heavily.” (Hawaii Holomua, January 11, 1894)

“One of the most valuable holdings, apart from the Claus Spreckels building, at Third and Market streets, is the family mansion at Van Ness avenue and Clay street.”

The Punahou mansion, two stories with cupola, frescoed ceilings and stained glass windows, was later purchased by Jonah Kumalae (businessman, politician and ukulele manufacturer,) who dismantled the three-story structure by sections in order to move it from Punahou Street to Mōʻiliʻili, where it was reassembled on Isenberg Street. (SB)

The St. Louis Alumni Association purchased the Kumalae home in June 1937. It was named Dreier Manor, in honor of philanthropist August Dreier, who founded Oahu Ice & Cold Storage Co. (SB) It then served as the St. Louis Alumni Clubhouse until it accidentally burned in 1954. (Mitchell)

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