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
Changing Kakaʻako: The Ward family and their home, Part 1
In 1881, Curtis and Victoria Ward built their grand home in Honolulu beside a fishpond and coconut tree grove, just makai of Thomas Square and McKinley High School today. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown explores the generations that stewarded this place and how it impacted residents at the time. Still to come: How the widening of Ward Avenue would slice off part of this land, along with the construction of what would initially be the Honolulu International Center.
DeSoto BrownNovember 12, 2026
Uneasy Listening in the Sinclair Library
Former University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa students recall strange and eerie experiences at Sinclair Library. Its A/V lab was especially troubling.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiNovember 11, 2026
Vladimir Ossipoff sketches up for auction
The original drawings of the architect behind buildings such as the Pacific Club, Outrigger Canoe Club, Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy, Waikīkī Aquarium and more are up for auction this month.
Katie HellandNovember 06, 2026
The Unending Tsunami Threat, Part 1: 1923
A century ago, the first photos of a tsunami as it happened were taken in Hawai‘i and printed in local newspapers. This 1923 tsunami hit Kahului, Maui and Hilo, Hawai‘i, hardest, though its effects were observed throughout the Islands.
DeSoto BrownNovember 06, 2026
Echoes of the Pineapple Cannery
The past still lives at this former industrial site, with employees and visitors reporting strange occurrences.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiNovember 04, 2026
Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana celebrates 50 years with album, concert
More than five decades ago, nine people evaded the U.S. Coast Guard to land on Kahoʻolawe and protest the bombing of a sacred space for Native Hawaiians. This year, the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana has been hosting events across the state to reignite the call for aloha ʻāina, or care for the land. In about two weeks, PKO is teaming up with Bishop Museum to celebrate the release of a new album that features mele about this place.
Katie HellandOctober 30, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: The IBM Building
At one time, the plan for the IBM Building included a basement bomb shelter in case of nuclear war. Later, the building faced destruction from a more ordinary source — changing ownership and redevelopment plans. Fortunately, writes ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown, it has been preserved, even as the neighborhood around it changes drastically.
DeSoto BrownOctober 30, 2026
The Faceless Woman of Wai‘alae
The drive-in theatre on Wai‘alae Avenue may be gone, but the famous faceless ghost that haunted it is not — in fact, she's been spotted across the street at the mall.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiOctober 28, 2026
What happened to Waikīkī?
Back in the Statehood era, you could see Punchbowl from Kalākaua Avenue and Diamond Head from Kūhiō Avenue. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown pairs then-and-now photos to show the dramatic changes from a low-rise Waikīkī to today's bustling mini-metropolis.
DeSoto BrownOctober 23, 2026
Wandering Spirits in an ‘Ewa Neighborhood
Before the suburbs and before sugar, the ‘Ewa plain had a thriving Native Hawaiian community and was renowned for its poi. It was also within the region known as Kaupe‘a, the gathering place for wandering spirits ... who perhaps wander there still.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiOctober 21, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: Ward Plaza
When it debuted in 1969, Ward Plaza elevated the neighborhood with a then-cutting edge architect-designed modernism. The complex was torn down in 2018 and construction has recently begun on its replacement, high-rise condo The Launiu Ward Village. Here's what made Ward Plaza special and why it should still be remembered.
DeSoto BrownOctober 17, 2026
Pressing Ghost in Kōke‘e
Cultures all around the world have a name for the ghost that sits on your chest, keeping you immobile and terrified when you wake in the middle of the night. The same is true for Hawai‘i, and here's a tale of one such frightening experience in a cabin in Kōke‘e.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiOctober 14, 2026
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