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January 26, 2022 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kaʻahumanu Church

The church began on August 19, 1832; the first services were held under a thatched roof.

The present Kaʻahumanu Church is actually the fourth place of worship for the Wailuku congregation. The original congregation, under the leadership of the Reverend Jonathan S Green, was forced to hold their meetings in a shed.

During its first year, Queen Kaʻahumanu, the Kuhina Nui of the Kingdom and convert to Christianity, visited the congregation and asked that when the congregation built an actual church, it be named for her.

Queen Kaʻahumanu was Kamehameha’s favorite wife.  She was, at one time, arguably, the most powerful figure in the Hawaiian Islands, helping usher in a new era for the Hawaiian kingdom.

When Kamehameha died on May 8, 1819, the crown was passed to his son, Liholiho, who would rule as Kamehameha II.

Kaʻahumanu created the office of Kuhina Nui (similar to premier, prime minister or regent) and would rule as an equal with Liholiho.  She ruled first with Kamehameha II until his departure for England in 1823 (where he died in 1824) and then as regent for Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III).

Ka‘ahumanu assumed control of the business of government, including authority over land matters, the single most important issue for the Hawaiian nation for many generations to come.  She later married Kauaʻi’s chief, Kaumualiʻi, who Kamehameha I had made a treaty with instead of fighting and thereby put all the islands under single control.

On December 4, 1825, Queen Kaʻahumanu was baptized and received her new name, Elizabeth, then labored earnestly to lead her people to Christ.

The congregation’s small shed meeting house soon proved too small as the service held there attracted as many as 3,000 worshippers. In 1834, a larger meeting house with a thatched roof was erected by the congregation.

The Reverend Richard Armstrong who had replaced the Reverend Green as pastor in 1836, supervised the construction of two stone meeting houses one at Haiku, and the other at Wailuku. The new Wailuku Church, completed in 1840, was 100 feet by 52 feet, and was two stories (actually one story and a gallery) in height.  Reverend Green returned to replace Armstrong in 1840.

In 1843, the Reverend Green was replaced by the Reverend EW Clark. Five years later, Clark was transferred to Kawaiahaʻo Church in Honolulu, and the Reverend Daniel Conde took over the pastorate at Wailuku.  Later, Reverend WP Alexander became pastor.

Active fundraising under Pastor William Pulepule Kahale led to the opportunity to finally build a permanent church.  Under the direction of Reverend Edward Bailey, in May, 1876, the new church, finally named the Kaʻahumanu Church, was completed.

Only a rock retaining wall that borders High Street in Wailuku is what remains of the old church.

The Kaʻahumanu Church is a large blue stone structure with wall more than two feet thick. It has a high-pitched gable roof with no overhang, but the eave terminates in a small molding adjacent to the top place along the wall.

The exterior is finished in plaster.  The church tower was not added until 1884 with a “fine tower clock from the U.S. costing $1,000.”  In 1892 the chandeliers were added to the interior.

The structure is four bays in depth with each bay having a single tall Gothic arched window with the interior of the window opening splayed.  Windows are multi-paned, double-hung wood frame with simple pattern in the upper part of the arch.

Adjoining the church is Honoliʻi Park.  It is believed that John Honoliʻi, a Native Hawaiian who had studied at Cornwall, Connecticut with Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia and later sailed aboard the brig Thaddeus with the original Protestant missionaries in 1820, is buried in an unmarked grave in the Kaʻahumanu Church cemetery. (Honoliʻi died in 1838.)

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Filed Under: Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings Tagged With: Hawaii, Maui, Kaahumanu, Wailuku, Kaahumanu Church, John Honolii, Wailuku Civic Center, Reverend Bailey

April 26, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Waihe‘e Church

Reverend Jonathan Smith Green (December 20, 1796 – January 5, 1878) and his wife Theodosia Arnold Green (April 33, 1792 – October 5, 1859) sailed with the Third Company of American missionaries November 3, 1827 and after 148-days at sea, arrived at Honolulu March 30, 1828.

The Greens were assigned to Lāhainā on the island of Maui; missionaries Lorrin Andrews and Jonathan Green along with mission doctor Gerrit P. Judd, were the first non-Hawaiians to visit Haleakalā in August 1828.

After a couple years on Maui the Greens went to Hilo (1831,) and returned back to Maui (to Wailuku in 1833.) Green built one of the first permanent houses there, a two-story lava stone structure with 20” thick walls and a high-pitched roof covered with wood shingles. (The house is now known as the Bailey House.)

Over the years Green served in various roles and supported and helped construct several schools and churches.

The Central Female Seminary (Wailuku Female Seminary – the first female school begun by the missionaries) opened July 6, 1837, under Green, with six girls, which increased to an average of 30-students. Subsequently, this school moved to Makawao.

The present Kaʻahumanu Church is actually the fourth place of worship for the Wailuku congregation. The original congregation, under the leadership of the Green, was first forced to hold their meetings in a shed.

In about 1830 Green built a thatch and pole meeting house that formed the beginnings of Waihe‘e Church outside of Wailuku. The church was founded as a mission station of the mother church in Wailuku.

In 1832 Green was joined by Mr. Rueben Tinker and together they made plans for the establishment of a permanent church in Waiheʻe. (Between 100 and 300 Hawaiians attended the early meetings.)

The construction of the present stone church was begun in 1848 and completed in 1858. The dimensions established by the missionary architects were 66-feet in length, 30-feet in width and 12-feet in height.

The construction and plan of the Waiheʻe Church closely resemble those of the other stone churches built by the missionaries on the islands of Maui, O‘ahu, Kauai, Hawai‘i and Molokai.

Because the majority of missionaries came from and were schooled in New England, they brought with them the preconceived idea of the church form and character.

In Hawai‘i it was translated into available materials – lava block and heavy timbers – and built in a simple and utilitarian style. The presence of the three tier tower and steeple on the Waihee church indicated the building’s aspiration toward higher style buildings.

The church originally had a wood framed bell tower, built up in three stages and topped with a steeple. The tower was located over the chancel end (above the altar) of the church (it was removed in 1987 due to water and termite damage.)

Typically, the labor for the churches was supplied by the local population served by the church. The materials were either gathered by the church members, donated by a chief or wealthy individual, or in some case purchased in part by the mission. Mortar was made by gathering and burning coral.

In 1852 the walls must have been at their full height because church records indicate that the building was rethatched that year. In January 1858, the building was substantially complete, but without a floor.

In the May 1858 Wailuku station report, WP Alexander wrote: “We have added a board floor to the stone meeting house of Waihee, and also doors and windows, so that it is now a comfortable house of worship.” (HMCS; NPS)

On August 11, 1868, the Waihe‘e Protestant Church was formally established as a branch of the Ka‘ahumanu Church of Wailuku and the Reverend LW Papalimu was seated as the first licensed minister of the church.

Green had moved to Makawao (February 7, 1843) and helped the Hawaiians in the Makawao area form the first self-supporting church in Hawaiʻi at Poʻokela.

He also served as the pastor of the Makawao Union Church, which was started to meet the needs of the English speaking, foreign community around Makawao.

Makawao Foreign Church and Congregation (Makawao Union Church) received a charter from the Hawaiian government in 1861, although Green had been holding services in his Makawao home from 1857. (The existing Dickey-designed Makawao Union Church was built in 1917 as a memorial to Henry Perrine Baldwin.)

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Waihee Church
Waihee Church
Waihee-Protestant-Church-WC
Waihee-Protestant-Church-WC
Jonathan_Smith_Green
Jonathan_Smith_Green
Baldwin House
Baldwin House
Kaahumanu_Church
Kaahumanu_Church
Pookela Church
Pookela Church

Filed Under: Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings Tagged With: Hawaii, Maui, Wailuku, Pookela Church, Kaahumanu Church, Jonathan Green, Bailey House, Waihee Church

January 29, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Public Clocks

The first timepieces seen by the Islanders were those brought in 1778-1779 by Captain James Cook and his officers. These instruments included “the same Watch Machine that was out with me last voyage,” “Another Watch Machine . . . put on board the Discovery,” an astronomical Clock,” an “Alarum D°,” and a “Pinchback pocket Watch with a second hand & Ruby Cylinder.”

The “watch machine,” or marine chronometer, was an extremely accurate and sophisticated timepiece, essential for determining longitude, that had only recently been perfected by John Harrison; tested on Cook’s second voyage, it had “performed magnificently.”

The first direct evidence of a clock on Island soil appears in a list of goods received by Kamehameha I at Lahaina in 1812, in return for a shipload of sandalwood. Well down an accounting of such items as clothing, swords, mirrors, saddles, casks, lamps, fishing rods, and rockets appears the entry, “1 large clock for the house.” (Schmitt & Cox)

“Large public clocks first appeared in the 1840s and 1850s. In 1842, James Hunnewell presented Kawaiahaʻo Church with the large church clock on the gallery wall below the new organ.”

The public clock served the functional purpose of telling passers-by the time. But it also served as a village landmark, a reference point, and a symbol of civic pride. Indeed, public clocks were something of a status symbol for a community, a sign that a town had reached a certain level of prosperity, that there was action there.

A clock was ordered from France soon after the dedication of the Our Lady of Peace Catholic Cathedral. Bishop Maigret sent the order through the office of the superior of the Sacred Hearts Fathers and Brothers in Valparaiso, Chile.

It was sent there for inspection before it was forwarded to Hawai‘i. For some unknown reason, it was switched with an older clock in Chile. (Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace) This ‘second-hand’ clock was installed in the Church’s original tower in about 1846. (Historic Hawaii Foundation) It is the oldest tower clock in Hawai‘i.

Kawaiahaʻo Church, designed by Hiram Bingham and constructed between 1836 and 1842, was in the New England style of the Protestant missionaries. Its tower clock is commonly referred to as the Kauikeaouli clock (four faces,) in memory of King Kamehameha III, its donor.

It was made by the Howard & Davis Clock Makers of Boston, Massachusetts. Mechanics arrived with the clock in 1850 and preparations were made for its installation – King Kamehameha III was selected to supervise the task. The clock, which tolls the hours, still operates on its original machinery.

Down on the Honolulu Harbor waterfront, Lucas’ Honolulu Planing Mill building served a couple critical purposes. First, the clock tower served as a range marker for ships aligning to enter/leave the harbor. (“The line of the harbor light (red) and the clock tower of the Honolulu Planing Mill on Fort … just touches the west side of this channel at the outer end.”) (Hawaii Bureau of Customs)

In addition, the clock served as a local time piece, as well as the official time to mariners. “Time-Signal at Planing Mill … a time-signal has been established at the Honolulu steam-planing mill, Honolulu, Sandwich islands. The signal is a whistle, which is sounded twice daily by electric signal from the survey office; … (giving time associated with) Greenwich mean time. (Nautical Magazine, January 1890)

The Lucas clock didn’t always work; “Lucas’ clock … At 7 this morning the clock was of the opinion that 10:45 was about the correct time.” (Hawaiian Star, October 25, 1895)

“Lucas’ clock on the Esplanade has been groggy for some time lately but repairs are being made. It’s a godsend to the waterfront people and the government should keep it in repair.” (Evening Bulletin, July 12, 1897)

Others wanted to be different, “Maui wants to adopt the Government time on Lucas’ clock with five minutes added, but some few will not agree to it. The result is a great uncertainty in times. (Maui, June 28)” (Hawaiian Gazette, July 1, 1890)

Another Harbor timepiece (and still keeping time) are the four clocks on Aloha Tower (construction began in 1924.) It was completed in a year and a half and became the landmark of Honolulu.

At 10 stories and 184 feet of height topped with 40 feet of flag mast, for four decades the Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii. It was built in the Hawaiian Gothic architectural style.

The 4 clocks, each face 12 feet in diameter (by far the biggest clock in the Territory of Hawai‘i and one of the largest in the United States at the time) and facing different directions, were made of bronze and weighed 7 tons each.

If a ship or person was too far away to read the clock, two other means of time synchronization were provided. A time ball was lowered to the bottom of the forty-foot mast atop the tower each day at noon, and the blast of a siren was sounded at 7 am, noon and 4 pm.

Aloha Tower was built as a control tower for the Honolulu harbormaster and a lighthouse as part of a modern freight and passenger terminal at piers 8, 9 and 10.

In addition, it provided offices for the harbor master, pilots and customs officials. The eleventh floor of the tower served as a lookout for the harbor pilots, with balconies on all four sides.

The Kaʻahumanu Church began on August 19, 1832; the first services were held under a thatched roof. The present Kaʻahumanu Church is actually the fourth place of worship for the Wailuku congregation. The original congregation, under the leadership of the Reverend Jonathan S Green, was forced to hold their meetings in a shed.

Active fundraising under Pastor William Pulepule Kahale led to the opportunity to finally build a permanent church. Under the direction of Reverend Edward Bailey, in May, 1876, the new church, finally named the Kaʻahumanu Church, was completed.

The Kaʻahumanu Church is a large blue stone structure with wall more than two feet thick. It has a high-pitched gable roof with no overhang, but the eave terminates in a small molding adjacent to the top place along the wall.

The exterior is finished in plaster. The church tower was not added until 1884 with a “fine tower clock from the U.S. costing $1,000.” In 1892 the chandeliers were added to the interior.

Hilo’s Waiākea Social Settlement Clock was dedicated in 1939, in memory of Mrs CS Richards. The May 23, 1960 tsunami damaged the clock – it stopped at 1:05 am, when the tsunami struck. It was restored on its original pedestal and reminds all who pass of the timing of the tsunami.

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Our Lady of Peace-Cathedral
Our Lady of Peace-Cathedral
Aloha Tower Camouflaged
Aloha Tower Camouflaged
Aloha_Tower,_Honolulu,_1959
Aloha_Tower,_Honolulu,_1959
Aloha_Tower-1935
Aloha_Tower-1935
Aloha_Tower-Under_Construction-Star-Bulletin-1925
Aloha_Tower-Under_Construction-Star-Bulletin-1925
Kaahumanu Church
Kaahumanu Church
Kaahumanu Church
Kaahumanu Church
Kaahumanu Church
Kaahumanu Church
Kawaiahao Church in 1885-Look towards Diamond Head
Kawaiahao Church in 1885-Look towards Diamond Head
Kawaiahao_Church,_Honolulu,_in_1857
Kawaiahao_Church,_Honolulu,_in_1857
Kawaiahao_Church_at_Honolulu_illustration-Bingham
Kawaiahao_Church_at_Honolulu_illustration-Bingham
Lucas Clock Noted-Ships_in_Honolulu_Harbor-1900
Lucas Clock Noted-Ships_in_Honolulu_Harbor-1900
Lucas Clock-Looking up Fort St. from Allen St. (later Nimitz - Ala Moana)-PP-38-5-016-1885
Lucas Clock-Looking up Fort St. from Allen St. (later Nimitz – Ala Moana)-PP-38-5-016-1885
Lucas_Tower_in_background-Young Brothers Launch 'Sea Scout' in Honolulu Harbor-PPWD-9-3-030-1905
Lucas_Tower_in_background-Young Brothers Launch ‘Sea Scout’ in Honolulu Harbor-PPWD-9-3-030-1905
Waiakea Social Settlement Clock
Waiakea Social Settlement Clock
Waiakea Social Settlement Clock-memorial
Waiakea Social Settlement Clock-memorial
Waiakea Social Settlement Clock plaque
Waiakea Social Settlement Clock plaque

Filed Under: Buildings, Economy, General Tagged With: Hawaii, Waiakea, Kawaiahao Church, George Lucas, Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, Kaahumanu Church, Aloha Tower, Public Clocks

February 7, 2014 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Poʻokela Church

The ship Parthian, Captained by Richard D Blinn, sailed from Boston November 3, 1827 and after 148-days at sea, arrived at Honolulu March 30, 1828. On board were 16-missionaries in the Third Company to the Islands.  Among them were Jonathan Smith Green (December 20, 1796 – January 5, 1878) and his wife Theodosia Arnold Green (April 33, 1792 – October 5, 1859.)

The Greens were assigned to Lāhainā on the island of Maui until 1831, then Hilo for one year.  In 1833, they moved to Wailuku, back on Maui, and built one of the first permanent houses there.  The house is now known as the Bailey House, a two-story lava stone structure with 20” thick walls and a high-pitched roof covered with wood shingles.

In 1828, Green was part of a small group of non-Hawaiians to first climb Haleakalā (with Lorrin Andrews and physician Dr. Gerrit P Judd.) They were followed by a US Navy expedition led by Commander Charles Wilkes in 1841, and later, others. Significant public interest was generated by written accounts of these visits that determined that Haleakalā would eventually become a destination for tourism.  (NPS)

Over the years Green served in various roles and supported and helped construct several schools and churches.

The present Kaʻahumanu Church is actually the fourth place of worship for the Wailuku congregation. The original congregation, under the leadership of the Green, was first forced to hold their meetings in a shed.

During its first year, Queen Kaʻahumanu, the Kuhina Nui of the Kingdom and convert to Christianity, visited the congregation and asked that when the congregation built an actual church, it be named for her.  The congregation’s small shed meeting house soon proved too small as the service held there attracted as many as 3,000 worshippers. In 1834, a larger meeting house with a thatched roof was erected by the congregation.

The Central Female Seminary (Wailuku Female Seminary – the first female school begun by the missionaries) opened July 6, 1837, under Green, with six girls, which increased to an average of 30-students. Subsequently, this school moved to Makawao.

Green experimented with growing wheat in Wailuku in 1854.  “Had I engaged in the business of wheat raising with the sole or even chief view of making money, I should not be a little mortified, but greatly so, with my want of success, for I have, thus far, failed to clear any thing.”

“My chief object, however, was to introduce the grain into the country, and persuade in people to cultivate it. In this I have succeeded, and I am more than content.”  (JS Green, The New England Farmer, March 8, 1855)

First known as Makawao Foreign Church and Congregation, Makawao Union Church received a charter from the Hawaiian government in 1861, although Green had been holding services in his Makawao home from 1857.

On February 7, 1843, Green moved to Makawao and helped the Hawaiians in the Makawao area form the first self-supporting church in Hawaiʻi at Poʻokela (foremost, best, superior, prime, outstanding.)

He continued to serve as the pastor of Poʻokela Church, as well as the Makawao Union Church which was started to meet the needs of the English speaking, foreign community around Makawao.

He preached two sermons and conducted Bible studies on Sundays; gave a public lecture on Wednesdays; and held monthly prayer meetings, one for the conversion of the world, one for schools, one for seamen and one for the enslaved.  (Poʻokela Church)

Green’s first wife died October 5, 1859 and on September 5, 1861 he married Asaneth Spring.  In 1878, at the age of 82, Jonathan Green died.  Asenath Green, and daughters Laura and Mary, continued to advise the church.

Mrs Green applied to the Hawaiian Evangelical Associate (HEA) for assistance and ministers were obtained for a time.  From 1885 to 1889, the reverend John Kalama pastored the church.  The following years saw a transition from Hawaiian to English-speaking services.

In 1904, Poʻokela Independent Church gave up its independence and merged with the HEA.  Shortly thereafter, the church fell into disrepair.

“No services have been held at Poʻokela Church during the last five months on account of the dilapidated condition of the roof, part of which was blown away by the storm. Fortunately through the assistance of Maui’s generous friend and the Hawaiian Board, the building was repaired, and once more historic Poʻokela is looking fresh and comfortable, and ready for religious services. These began Sunday, May 5th, with a good old rally meeting.”  (Hawaiian Evangelical Association, 1907)

“The repairs of the historic Poʻokela Church (‘which was fast tumbling to ruins,’) so dear to many former students of the present Maunaolu Seminary, and so closely associated with the life and work of the splendid missionary family, the Greens, are now begun in earnest.”  (The Friend, March 1, 1907)

“The wood of which the ceiling is made is sweet scented and not found in these islands or in the states, and is supposed to have been imported from China about the time that Father Green built this church.”  (Maui News, March 2, 1907)

During WWII, church buildings were converted to classrooms for the primary grades of Makawao School (the US Army took over the school for a military hospital.)  “Aunty” Kalama provided the vision and energy to keep things moving.

Following the war, a reopening of the church took place.  With the changing demographics of the region, the church evolved into a multi-ethnic church.

In 1999, a concrete floor was installed in the church (at a Christmas Eve service, a person’s foot went through the old wooden floor (the carpet saving him from going all the way through.))

A century after its last roof repair, the church needed reroofing, again.  Built without nails, each peg had to be removed individually from the hand-hewn beams in the repair process. The church congregation raised a large tent to accommodate our meetings as well as Sunday services for members and visitors. (2009-2010)  (Lots of information here from Poʻokela Church.)

The image shows Poʻokela Church.  In addition, I have added other images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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© 2014 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings Tagged With: Hawaii, Haleakala, Maui, Makawao, Pookela Church, Makawao Union Church, Kaahumanu Church, Wailuku Female Seminary, Jonathan Green

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