Hawai‘i History
The History of Hawai‘i: From Kingdom to Statehood, and beyond
The present makes more sense when you understand the past. As this department grows, expect ASD to explore pre-contact Hawai‘i, Hawaiian Kingdom history, U.S. Annexation, Territorial days, Pearl Harbor, Statehood, the Hawaiian Renaissance and on into the modern era. We will celebrate the cultures, the people and landmarks that have made us who we are today.
News
How They Saw Us: Hawai‘i on Book and Magazine Covers
Book and magazine publishing boomed through the 20th century, with covers competing for attention in the marketplace. How those covers depicted Hawai‘i reveals the aspects of Hawai‘i that caught America's fancy. Some depictions were realistic, such as actual ongoing volcanic eruptions, but often they were exaggerated or outright imaginary views of romance and hula, crime and violence.
DeSoto BrownOctober 08, 2026
The Hauntings of Waimea Canyon
Carved by rainwater over ages, Kauai's Waimea Canyon holds mysteries both ancient and modern. Have you ever felt watched while hiking the canyon's trails?
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiOctober 07, 2026
Will the Maritime Museum ever return?
The Hawai‘i Maritime Center has been closed for 20 years, standing termite-eaten and faded next to Aloha Tower. Its signature exhibit, the historic ship Falls of Clyde, was towed out sea and sunk last year as unsalvageable. ASD political historian Perry Arrasmith explains where the center came from in the first place and what might happen with it next.
Perry ArrasmithOctober 06, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: Remembering Ward Warehouse
Ward Warehouse was never meant to last — even the previous owners who built it, Victoria Ward Ltd, always intended for offices and high-rises to take its place. But it had a four-decade run from its 1975 opening to its 2017 demolition, featuring such businesses as Old Spaghetti Factory, Orson's, The Liquor Collection, Nohea Gallery and more. Here's a look back at the shopping center, including a glimpse of the neighborhood before Ward Warehouse came along and fishing, rather than shopping, was the area's industry.
DeSoto BrownOctober 02, 2026
What Haunts Waterfront Plaza
Back in the day, when this complex was known as Restaurant Row, many of us enjoyed being pleasantly haunted by ’50s tunes at Rose City Diner or catching sight of celebrities at Black Orchid. But even then, some people were haunted by far more disturbing sights, perhaps owing to a cemetery that had been at the same location long ago.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 30, 2026
The Hawaiʻi GOP’s real problem isn’t its platform
Today, a party that runs on “faith, family, freedom” has a lieutenant governor candidate who traces mankind to the kalo plant. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on why civic renewal in Hawaiʻi starts with what we worship, and why the greatest Hawaiian statesman — Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli) — is the proof.
Sterling HigaSeptember 29, 2026
How Hawai‘i got its gas stations
Strange but true — at one time, horse-drawn carriages delivered supplies of gasoline around O‘ahu, and fuel pumps were often located by the side of the road for motorists running on empty. As gas-powered cars became more common, a new kind of building emerged in the Islands — the gas station. Guess which famous waterman owned one in Waikīkī!
DeSoto BrownSeptember 23, 2026
Drums of Kāne‘ākī
In the back of Mākaha Valley stands Kāneʻākī Heiau, a temple built and enlarged many times by Native Hawaiians and restored in 1969. It is believed to have started out as devoted to the god Lono and agriculture, and King Kamehameha dedicated it to Kū, god of war. The heiau is difficult to access now, surrounded by the gated community of Mauna ʻOlu Estates, but residents there report that it has ways of making its presence known.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 23, 2026
Community Voices: A (mostly) geological history of Puna
Even when looking at recent flows while driving around the Big Island today, most don’t realize that the rocky landscape is a gift from Pele, writes longtime Volcano resident Bobby Camara. "We should not attempt to exert our will on Pele. She must be accommodated, and we are the ones who must adjust to new realities."
Bobby CamaraSeptember 21, 2026
"Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī" lyrics and history: The Liliʻuokalani anthem that Kalākaua replaced
For 10 years the Hawaiian Kingdom stood and sang a prayer written by the future queen. Then her brother wrote his own song. ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa on the words “Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī” replaced.
Sterling HigaSeptember 19, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: GEM Is The Big One!
Back in the day, kama‘āina used to refer to these department stores as "Gem's." Here's the real history — and the real name — of these stores that once spanned the Islands.
DeSoto BrownSeptember 18, 2026
The Forgotten Landscape of Mapunapuna
Tides and rain, time and spirits converge in this now-industrial area mauka of the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Here is the true history of a region shaped first by nature and then by two different cultures in two different eras, where traces remain of days and people long past.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 16, 2026
True tales of tall trees in the Islands
We love our trees in Hawai‘i. As ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown tells it, some trees have even been main characters in dramas playing out in the streets of the Islands.
DeSoto BrownSeptember 10, 2026
Through the Eyes of a Princess
Princess Kaʻiulani spent much of her tragically brief life at her beloved Waikīkī estate, ʻĀinahau. Over time, the property changed hands and developed into the hotel we know today. But there are stories the Princess is with us still in spirit at the site.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 09, 2026
Changing Kakaako: Once a residential neighborhood
More than a century ago, the modern development of Kaka‘ako started as modest, wooden single-family homes. Over time, these were displaced businesses. ASD historian DeSoto Brown takes down these streets of Kaka‘ako as they looked then, and now.
DeSoto BrownSeptember 04, 2026
Sightings of Pele at Lē‘ahi
You might associated Pele most with the active volcanoes of Hawai‘i Island but ancient myths — and contemporary encounters — tell of her presence on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu as well.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 02, 2026
Close cover before striking: Advertising matchbooks in Hawai‘i
When cigarette smoking was ubiquitous so were matchbooks. These were handed out by the thousands by Hawai‘i businesses, each serving as a portable advertisement. Here's a tour of the businesses, and the printing art form, emblazoned on Hawai‘i matchbooks.
DeSoto BrownAugust 27, 2026
Haunted Banyans at Ali‘iolani Hale
The two banyan trees next to Ali‘iolani Hale were planted in the 1880s. Such trees carry a wealth of symbolism throughout Asian cultures — enlightenment, divinity, magic, longevity, strength, and more. Legends also surround banyan trees as the abodes of ghosts and mysterious spirit beings. That was the experience of one Hawai‘i sheriff, who shared a frightening encounter with our authors.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 26, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: The ocean connection
The hundred-year-old Kewalo Basin was originally made to move fishing sampans out of busy Honolulu Harbor. At one point, 1,000 people worked in the adjacent Hawaiian Tuna Packers facility, producing up to 65,000 cans of tuna per day under the Coral brand for sale locally and on the Mainland. In time, the famous Fisherman's Wharf restaurant appeared, thrived, then shut down as well. It remains a harbor for fishing boats, but of the recreational variety, as well as for boat tours and "booze cruises."
DeSoto BrownAugust 21, 2026
Among the Graves at Kawaiaha‘o
Nearly 200 years ago, American missionaries at Kawaiaha‘o Church introduced the Western practice of graveyards with tombstones. While the living carry on with church services and wedding receptions and happy occasions, grief seems to bind some spirits to the graveyard — unhappy souls who make their presence known.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 19, 2026
Neon, its birth and death in Hawai‘i
Bright, colorful neon signs debuted in the Islands nearly a century ago, with literal Hollywood glamor — the Waikīkī, Kūhiō and other movie palaces used them. Restaurants and small businesses of all kinds went for neon, too. Over time, they became associated with dive bars and the bad side of town. ASD history writer DeSoto Brown revisits and the highs and lows of this distinctly 20th-century form of advertising.
DeSoto BrownAugust 14, 2026
The Ghost of a Queen
Queen Emma was instrumental in establishing the Anglican Church in Hawaii and in 1867, she founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls, to uplift the young women of Hawai‘i. The school meant the world to her, so is it any wonder that people claim to still see her presence there? Ghostly nuns and mysterious voices have also been encountered, spirits that seem more nurturing than frightening.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 12, 2026
Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons unveiled at Punahou School
The new center, named after the Hawaiian historian and scholar who taught at Punahou in the 1930s, replaces the school’s former Cooke Library. Aloha State Daily sat down with President Mike Latham to learn more about Pukui’s history at Punahou and in the broader community, as well as how her legacy continues to shape the next generation of students.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 12, 2026
'The Queen’s Will' premieres in Honolulu
The world premiere of a new play, “The Queen’s Will,” is headed for Kumu Kahua Theatre. Playwright Sean T.C. O’Malley shares how more than 500 articles helped inspire the show, which takes the stage for the first time this month.
Katie HellandAugust 08, 2026