Queen Emma was born on January 2, 1836, to Nā‘ea and Fanny Kekelaokalani Young. As was customary in Hawaiian society, she was raised in the hānai tradition, and much of her childhood was spent in the care of Fanny’s sister, Grace Kamaʻikuʻi Young, and her husband, Thomas Charles Byde Rooke.
‘Emalani, as she was then known, grew up at Rooke House, which stood near the Waikīkī/makai corner of what are now Beretania and Nuʻuanu streets, where Mark’s Garage is now. Educated at the Royal School along with other children of ali‘i, and then taught by an English governess, Emma was fluent in both Hawaiian and English, was a skilled equestrian, and was an accomplished vocalist and pianist.
In 1856, she married Alexander Liholiho, King Kamehameha IV, and two years later, gave birth to a son, Prince Albert Edward Kauikeaouli. By all accounts, the young prince brought a great deal of happiness to the King and Queen, and was beloved by the people of Hawai‘i. But it seems the happiness was not to last.
Succumbing to an unknown illness, Queen Emma’s only child died in 1862, at just four years old. After his death, the Queen was referred to as Kaleleokalani, meaning flight of the heavenly one. King Kamehameha IV, grief-stricken and feeling responsible for his son’s death, withdrew from public life. Suffering from chronic asthma, the young king died a year later at the age of 29. After her husband died, the Queen’s name changed again to the plural form of Kaleleonālani, flight of the heavenly ones.
In the midst of her grief, Emma traveled to England. The journey gave her some distance from the sorrow she had experienced at home, but it also became an important turning point in her life.
She was concerned about the future of the young women of her island nation and recognized the importance of education. Queen Emma was already involved in establishing the Anglican Church in Hawaiʻi. While in London, she raised money toward the construction of an Anglican cathedral in Hawaiʻi. She sought the counsel of the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding her vision for a school for girls.
On Ascension Day, May 30, 1867, Queen Emma founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls, together with Mother Priscilla Lydia Sellon of the Society of the Most Holy Trinity of Devonport, England.
The Priory’s primary educational objective was the teaching of English. Instruction was conducted in English, and the girls were not permitted to speak Hawaiian, even during their playtime. Along with their academic studies, they were taught sewing and embroidery, music and drawing. Religious instruction was also an important part of the curriculum.
For Queen Emma, St. Andrew’s Priory was more than simply a school. It was part of a larger vision for the education and future of the young women of Hawaiʻi.
For more than 150 years, generations of young women passed through its halls, sharing lessons, laughter, friendships, and celebrations. It should come as no surprise that a place so closely connected to Queen Emma would eventually become associated with stories of her lingering presence.
Over the years, tales have circulated among the students and staff, revealing strange occurrences at the boarding school. Some of the students claimed to have seen the actual ghost of Queen Emma in the halls, while others are said to have heard the stairs creaking late at night and believed she was making her rounds.
There are also reports of unexplained cold spots, particularly near Queen Emma’s portrait and just outside the main entrance to the girls’ dormitory. On some nights, the grand piano could be heard playing long after midnight. Lights would mysteriously switch on and off, tools would disappear only to turn up elsewhere, and belongings left in handbags would be rearranged or simply dumped on the floor. These unexplainable events led many to believe that ghostly hands were still at work within the walls of St. Andrew’s Priory.
My dear friend recently gifted me with his personal stories and those of his ʻohana, who were boarders at the school.
Reportedly, gardenias were among Queen Emma’s favorite flowers. The smell of fresh gardenia was common around the Queen’s portrait and in Emma Hall.
My friend’s aunt told him, “The smell was so strong, it was like you were standing right next to a big gardenia bush in full bloom, and then it would suddenly be gone, and you wouldnʻt smell it again.”
As girls, his aunts spent many evenings cleaning up Emma Hall before heading to bed, as part of their nightly chores. On one occasion while straightening up the room, one aunt saw a woman in a dark blue, Victorian-style gown with her hair pulled up, walking away from the piano, but the figure vanished just before reaching the door. She only saw the woman from behind, but the image stayed with her.
Another memory went back to when she was about eight or nine years old. One night, during a storm, she left the dormitory to use the bathroom. Frightened by the weather, she ran back toward the dorm when a nun gently stopped her and said, “No running.”
She was about to answer, “Yes, Sister,” when the nun began to fade away. The figure seemed to turn light gray before disappearing completely.
Years later, my friend returned to St. Andrew’s Cathedral for the first time since childhood. He learned that there was a stained-glass window depicting Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV, and he went to search for them.
He was looking up, trying to find their images when a woman’s voice behind him said, “Look down for what you are looking for.”
He looked down and found himself standing directly in front of the panel showing the King and Queen. When he turned to thank the woman, no one was there. In fact, he was all alone in the cathedral.
On a more recent visit, my friend was showing his partner the sights around St. Andrew’s. He said he always wanted to see the inside of St. Paul’s Chapel, but like each time he tried to visit, the door was locked. It was raining that day, and while they were standing beneath the arched portico talking about where to go next, a man’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
“The door is open.”
My friend turned, already explaining that they had tried the door, but his words choked off mid-sentence. No one was there.
They turned back to the chapel and tried the door again. This time, it opened.
The two quickly peeked inside for a brief look before leaving the chapel. Neither could explain who had spoken to them. There had been no one else around, and yet someone, or something, had apparently known exactly what they wanted to see.
There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything that has happened at St. Andrew’s. Then again, perhaps there isn’t. The stories have survived because people experienced things they could not explain, and in a place so closely connected to Queen Emma, it is easy to understand why some believe her presence can still be felt. Perhaps, after all these years, the Queen and other spirits are still making their rounds.
The authors can be reached at hawaii.mysteries@gmail.com
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