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.

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

Castle High School kicks off 75th anniversary with community event

Last week, the public high school in Kāneʻohe celebrated its 75th anniversary with an open house free to the public, complete with food trucks, vendors and live performances. This was the first event of a few planned for the school year, which will culminate in March. Aloha State Daily spoke with Principal Bernadette Tyrell, Ph.D., as well as teachers, alumni and students who helped put together this fundraiser.

Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 07, 2026

Changing Kaka‘ako: The first on Kaka‘ako’s Automobile Row

Shiny, new high-rise condos are popping up all over Kaka‘ako, and it isn't the first time a trend changed the neighborhood. In the 1950s, the new kids on the blocks were car dealerships. The first of these, in 1958, was for Volkswagen.

DeSoto BrownAugust 07, 2026

Beneath the Sand at Hūnānāniho

Waimānalo is one of the earliest human settlements on O‘ahu, dating back as much as a thousand years. For Native Hawaiians, it was a pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge. Later the area hosted a sugar plantation then a military airfield. In 2021, the City and County of Honolulu restored Waimānalo Bay Beach Park's traditional name, Hūnānāniho. Some say that's not the only presence from the past that walks the beach when the moon is just right.

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 05, 2026

Honolulu's restaurant corner

With its high traffic and visibility, the corner of Kapi‘olani Boulevard and Kalākaua Avenue has attracted a series of legendary eateries over the decades. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown revisits them all — Kau Kau Korner, Coco's, Hard Rock Café (much of the latter's building now serving as the home of Chick-fil-A's only sit-down restaurant).

DeSoto BrownJuly 30, 2026

Secrets of the Scottish Rite Cathedral

ASD's ghost and history columnists themselves had a very strange experience giving a tour of Makiki's Scottish Rite Cathedral. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry was welcomed into the Islands in 1874 by King David Kalākaua and John Owen Dominis, husband of Queen Lili‘uokalani. Its members have a long history of service to community, with an air of Masonic mystery.

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 29, 2026

Changing Kaka‘ako: The first high-rise

Perhaps no urban Honolulu neighborhood has changed more over the past 50 years than Kaka‘ako. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown looks back on the changes, starting with the skyline, which used to boast but a single high-rise building. That has certainly changed! The condo 1350 Ala Moana once stood as a landmark and now is lost in the crowd.

DeSoto BrownJuly 23, 2026