History of Lahaina

A timeline of Lahaina history clearly shows Lahaina's importance in Hawaiian history. A chosen center for spiritual and political power in ancient Hawai'i, Lahaina absorbed the influx of foreigners and reflected the continual changes permeating the island chain.

Important Dates in Hawai'i History

• 300-500 A.D. Marquesans arrive
• 1095-1300 Tahitians arrive
• 1778 Capt. Cook anchors in Kauai'i
• 1782 Kamehameha becomes king of Hawai'i island
• 1787 The first foreigner, Capt. La Perouse comes ashore in South Maui
• 1790 Kamehameha conquers Maui in the Battle of I'ao Valley
• Olowalu Massacre (An American trader kills over 100 Hawaiians to avenge the theft of a boat and murder of a sailor) just south of Lahaina.
• 1795 Kamehameha conquers all islands but Kaua'i
• 1802 Kamehameha declares Lahaina the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom and builds a "Brick Palace" in Lahaina
• 1810 Kaua'i ceded to Kamehameha
• 1819 Kamehameha dies and son Liholiho (Kamehameha II) succeeds him with regent ruler Queen Ka'ahumanu
• Kapu system is renounced by Liholiho and Ka'ahumanu
• 1820 First American Protestant missionaries arrive from Boston
• 1823 Waine'e Protestant Church is built in Lahaina. This is the first church on Maui.
• 1824 Kaukieaouli (Kamehameha III), another son of Kamehameha, becomes king when Liholiho (Kamehameha II) dies
• 1825 Lahaina whaling era begins
• Lahaina skirmishes between whalers and missionaries result in the eventual building of the waterfront fort.
• 1826 A Royal Mausoleum for Princess Nahienaena, sister of Kaukieaouli (Kamehameha III) is built on Moku'ula island in Lahaina.
• 1828 Pioneer Mill opens as Lahaina's First Sugar Mill
• 1834 Rev. Baldwin's home built (Pastor for Waine'e Church)
• The first newspaper in Hawai'i, Ka Lamaa Hawaii, is established and printed at Hale Pa'i in Lahaina
• 1836 Lahainaluna Seminary School opens with a class of 23 boys, the first school west of the Rocky Mountains.
• 1840 Kaukieaouli (Kamehameha III) establishes Hawai'i's first written constitution and commissions the lighthouse in Lahaina
• 1842 United States recognizes Hawai'i as a kingdom
• 1843 Hawai'i's first paper money printed at Hale Pa'i in Lahaina
• 1844 U.S. Seamen's Hospital established in Lahaina
• 1845 Honolulu becomes capital, first legislature
• 1848 Great Mahele: Lands are divided among the king, ali'i (chiefs) and the people
• 1850 Foreigners are allowed to own land
• 1852 Chinese laborers arrive
• 1855 Kaukieaouli (Kamehameha III) dies, Alexander Liholiho, his adopted son & nephew succeeds as Kamehameha IV.
• 1858 Hale Aloha is built by Protestant natives as a gesture of gratitude that Lahaina was spared from the Oahu small pox epidemic
• Maria Lanakila, Lahaina's first Catholic church built
• Windstorm from Kaua'ula valley destroys many Lahaina buildings including Waine'e Church, and Kaukieaouli's (Kamehameha III) unfinished palace, Hale Piula
• 1859 Lahaina Courthouse is built
• 1860 End of Lahaina whaling era
• 1863 Alexander Liholiho (Kamehameha IV) dies and his older brother Alexander succeeds as Kamehameha V
• 1868 Japanese laborers arrive
• 1870 Sugar produced in Olowalu
• 1873 William Charles Lunalilo (descendant of a half-brother of Kamehameha) becomes first elected king
• Banyan Tree planted in Lahaina
• 1874 Prince David Kalakaua is elected to the throne when King Lunalilo dies
• 1878 Portuguese laborers arrive
• First telephone in Hawai'i
• 1879 First train on Maui
• 1881 Norwegian and German laborers arrive
• 1884 Bishop Estate created
• 1889 Father Damien dies in leper colony Moloka'i
• 1890 Ka'anapali Landing built for shipping and receiving
• 1891 King Kalakaua dies and is succeeded by his sister, Queen Lili'uokalani
• 1892 First pineapple cannery
• 1893 Illegal overthrow installs Provisional Government
• 1894 Republic of Hawai'i
• Protesters burn down Waine'e Church in Lahaina
• 1898 Hawai'i becomes U.S Territory
• 1900 Territorial government established
• Puerto Rican laborers arrive
• 1901 Pioneer Inn, Lahaina's first hotel built
• 1902 Korean laborers arrive
• 1903 Dwight Baldwin plants first pineapple on Maui
• 1904 Buddhist Hongwanji Mission founded in Mala
• 1905 Filipino laborers arrive
• 1906 McGregor Point Lighthouse built
• Lahaina National Bank established
• 1907 Spanish laborers arrive
• 1910 First airplane in Hawaii
• 1912 Lahaina Jodo Mission founded
• Electricity in Lahaina
• 1913 Original King Kamehameha III School built
• 1916 Lahaina lighthouse dedicated to U.S. Coast Guard
• 1917 Lahaina National Bank becomes Bank of Maui, Lahaina branch
• 1918 Lahaina's Moku'ula island leveled and fishpond filled in
• 1927 Billboard advertising prohibited
• 1928 Maria Lanakila Church rebuilt larger
• 1930 Ka'anapali Landing removed (adjacent where the Hyatt and Marriott stand today)
• 1938 Lahaina Inn built
• 1941 Japanese attack Pearl Harbor
• 1946 Tsunami tidal wave damages Lahaina
• 1951 The puka, or tunnel, on the "pali" or cliff portion of the highway opened
• 1952 First television broadcast in Hawai'i
• 1955 Lahaina Harbor dredged, removing the beach that once was the waterfront
• 1957 Lahaina's Kamehameha III school is demolished and rebuilt
• 1959 Hawai'i becomes 50th state
• Tourism becomes major industry
• 1960 Kahoma Stream floods
• 1960s' Sheraton Maui construction unearths Hawaiian burials, Lahaina's Japanese community relocates them
• 1966 Lahaina Restoration Foundation moors "Carthaginian" in Lahaina Harbor as example of early sailing ships
• 1969 Maui, Land & Pineapple Co. created
• 1972 Carthaginian runs aground, Lahaina Restoration Foundation replaces it with the Komet, christened second "Carthaginian"
• 1975 Lahaina Shores Beach Resort built
• 1976 Hokule'a confirms Polynesian travel
• 1978 Office of Hawaiian Affairs established
• 1980 Lahainaluna Seminary, now a public high school (1923), accepts female students
• Ritz-Carlton Kapalua relocates construction site after unearthing Hawaiian burial sites
• 1993 "Apology Resolution" passed by U.S. Congress to Hawaiians
• 1995 Last Hawaiian sugar mill closes
• 2005 Deteriorated "Carthaginian" sunk
• 2006 Pioneer Mill leveled expect for smokestack

The Lahaina Restoration Foundation and County of Maui Historic Commission established 31 historic landmarks. These sites are identified by brown signs and numbered for a self-guided tour of the town. Maps of a short & long tour can be picked up for free at the Lahaina Visitors Center in the Old Lahaina Courthouse or at Site #1. For those who don't want to walk, inquire with Maui Mini Cruisers about an electric car rental.

Tour Tip: This tour was designed as a "walking tour" but is actually quite lengthy and far reaching. We highly recommend renting a Maui Mini Cruiser for a fun, easy way to visit all the sites. Print out a copy of the historical tour here.

Site #1 The Masters' Reading Room

120 Dickenson Street (corner of Dickenson St. & Front St.)
The Lahaina Restoration Foundation, founder of this historic tour, operates its preservation efforts from the Masters' Reading Room, so it's an appropriate start to the Lahaina tour. In 1834 seamen's headquarters were established here by Rev. William Richards and E. Spaulding who sought to create a hospitable environment for sailors, ship's officers and their families to meet with missionaries and escape the heat. The top floor served as a reading room or library of sorts and the bottom floor was used for missionary sundries. Officers could stay ashore here if they chose. Today, the sturdy coral block and field stone two-story building is just as it was when Dr. Baldwin oversaw it in 1847.

Site #2 Baldwin Home

120 Dickenson Street (corner of Dickenson St. & Front St.)
Missionary and Harvard doctor, Dwight Baldwin, and his family of six children lived here from 1838 to 1871. Reverend Baldwin served as pastor of Lahaina's Waine'e Church and regularly entertained visiting dignitaries. Built in 1834, the oldest existing structure in Lahaina is maintained today as a museum.

Site # 3 Richards House / Campbell Park

658 Front Street (adjacent the Wharf Cinema Center)
Today a park marks the home site of Lahaina's first Protestant missionary, William Richards. In the mid-1830's Richards became a translator to Kamehameha III, helping draft the constitution and petition for western recognition of an independent Hawaiian Kingdom.

The Lahaina Film Festival is held here in late summer.

Site # 4 Taro Patch

680 Wharf Street (in front of the library)
In front of the current Lahaina Public Library a former taro patch is memorialized. The mainstay of the Hawaiian diet, taro, once grew abundantly throughout Lahaina in many water-fed taro lo'i.

Site #5 Hauola Stone.

Lahaina Harbor on the edge of the lawn
The Hauola Stone was believed to be a source of healing by Hawaiians. Rocks were attributed with many forces of strength and well-being, some used for childbirth platforms and others in ceremony. Today this particular stone is covered by a wall.

Site # 6 Brick Palace

By the Pioneer Inn, a concrete marking in ground on lawn
Existing for 70 years but no longer today, the 1802 "Brick Palace" was built by Kamehameha during his residency in Lahaina. A two-story building of four rooms and an observation tower, Kamehameha entertained ship captains here and plotted his attack on Kauai. Later the building was used as a warehouse, storeroom and meeting house.

Site # 7 Old Lahaina Lighthouse

Lahaina Harbor
As a boon to the whalers, Kamehameha III commissioned the lighthouse in 1840, making it the oldest lighthouse in Hawaii and even pre-dating those on the U.S. Pacific Coast. It was refurbished in 1905 and adopted by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1916. Once the Carthaginian, a 19th-century replica brig, was anchored here but its deteriorating condition was addressed by its intentional sinking in 2005. Organizers of the sinking hope that the ship will serve as an artificial reef habitat for fish and become a popular dive site.

Site #8 Pioneer Inn

658 Wharf Street
Canadian George Freeland built Lahaina's first hotel in 1901. Over the years it included a service station and movie theatre. In 1964, the inn was renovated and today includes a collection of storefronts beneath the Best Western-operated rooms. Although upgraded with modern conveniences, the rooms are still offer a Spartan missionary look and throughout the hotel's lobby, courtyard, bar and restaurant remnants of the whaling era, backroom deals and celebrity visits are documented.

Site # 9 The Banyan Tree

Across from the Wharf Cinema Center on Front Street, in front of the Old Courthouse
Fifty feet high and covering two-thirds of an acre with a 200 foot span made up of 12 major trunks, this banyan tree is the oldest in Hawai'i. It was planted in1873 by Maui's sheriff William O. Smith to commemorate Lahaina's 50th anniversary of the first Christian mission. Today, locals cool off under its shade and sell arts and crafts on the weekends.

Site #10 Courthouse

648 Wharf Street
Today, this building houses the Lahaina Arts Society and the Lahaina Town Action Committee which operates the Lahaina Visitor Center and the upstairs museum. Built from the stones of Kamehameha III's palace courtyard “Hale Piula,� which had been knocked down by island winds a year earlier, the 1859 building had a post office, collections office, customs house, police court, courtroom, jury room and Governor's office.

Site #11 Waterfront Fort

Outside the Old Courthouse on corner of Wharf and Canal Street
In response to tensions between whalers and missionaries, a one acre fort was built to dissuade the sailors from rebelling against missionary laws in the 1830s'. Constructed of coral blocks from the reef, it had 20 foot walls and mounted cannons. All that remains today is a small section of the southwest corner.

Site #12 Canal

On Canal Street
A freshwater stream used to flow through Lahaina to the waterfront. A canal was dug to make easier access to the waterway for visiting sailors who sought to fill up drinking casks. In 1913, the canal was filled in.

Site #13 Government Market

On Canal Street
A regulated market place was established in the middle of the canal waterway for trade between Hawaiians and visiting ships.

Site #14 Episcopal Church

561 Front Street
The current Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church is located across from its original site. In 1909 it was built at its present location, on top of what was once a grass house belonging to Kamehameha's daughter. Paintings by DeLos Blackmar from 1940 grace the interior and occasionally you'll hear the singing of Tongan choirs.

Site #15 Hale Piula

Kamahameha Iki Park
Part of the Moku'ula site complex, an "iron-roofed" stone building was constructed for Kamehameha III in the 1830s, however he chose to sleep in a nearby grass hut instead. Hale Piula was never completed, in disrepair from disuse, and was finally destroyed by a windstorm in 1858. The stones were used to build the old courthouse.

Site #16 Malu'uluolele Park

In the 505 Front St and park vicinity
This is the scared spiritual and political power center of ancient Lahaina and all of Hawai'i. In the middle of the park was a fish pond believed to be home to Kihawahine, the great moo (lizard) on Maui and guardian of the royal family. Maui ali'i resided here including Kamehameha I, II, and III. An island in the pond's center was a frequent retreat for Hawaiian chiefs. In 1918 the island was leveled and the pond filled in. Today a parking lot and playing field cover the area but attempts for its restoration are planned.

Site #17 Waine'e Church, Waiola Church

535 Waine'e St
The first stone church in Hawaii, the Waine'e Church was built between 1828 and 1832 under the supervision of Hawaiian Ali'i for the Protestant missionaries. This massive structure designed to hold 3,000 attendees was subjected to repeated destruction over the years. The same 1858 windstorm that toppled other town structures blew off the roof and belfry. Then in 1894 it was set on fire by royalists protesting the annexation of Hawaii. In 1947 it burned again and in1951 it was brought down by another windstorm yet again. Dedicated in 1953 as "Waiola" or water of life, the church finally remains intact and untouched today.

Site #18 Waine'e Cemetery

Adjacent Wailoa Church
Hawaiians believe that a person's mana, or energy, is in their bones, thus this is a very sacred site. As Hawai'i's first Christian graveyard, the cemetery is the burial site for many Hawaiian royalty and missionary families alike. Since 1823, some of the notable burials include King Kaumualii (last king of Kauai), Kekauonohi (queen of Kamehameha II) and Princess Nahienaena (sister of Kamehameha II and III).

Site # 19 Hongwanji Mission

Next door to Waiola Church
Since 1910, Buddhists have been meeting at this site with its current temple established in 1927. Annual celebrations open to the public include an April commemoration of Buddha, the Bon Memorial celebration in August and New Year's Eve festivities.

Site #20 David Malo's House

Prison Rd & Waine'e St
David Malo attended Lahainaluna Seminary, the first school established in Hawaii, and became Hawaii's renowned scholar and philosopher. He published the book Hawaiian Antiquities written in Hawaiian and he is celebrated annually at Lahainaluna High School.

Site #21 The Prison

On the corner of Waine'e and Prison streets
Hale Paahao, "the stuck-in-irons house," was built in 1852 after a fort physician recommended better short-term facilities for prisoners thus reducing Kingdom liability, if prisoners will to fall ill. Prior to that they had been held in the fort, forced to sleep on the damp ground. The prison featured separate quarters for men and women and a patrol catwalk above the interior courtyard. Common crimes that led to internment included desertation, drunkenness, and disrespecting the Sabbath or other missionary-guided law.

Site #22 Episcopal Cemetery

Waine'e St between Prison and Hale streets
King Kamehameha IV's queen, Emalani Rooke, requested that the Archbishop of Canterbury establish a church in Hawaii. This cemetery has the burials for many Anglican families on Maui.

Site #23 Hale Aloha.

Off Waine'e St between Prison and Hale streets
In 1858 Hawaiian Protestants built the "House of Love" as an acknowledgement that Lahaina was spared the smallpox epidemic that decimated Oahu. It served as a church, then a school but by the early 1900's had been abandoned. Maui County restored it in 1974.

Site #24 Buddhist Church of the Shingnon Sect

Luakini St near Dickenson St
A typical plantation style building with a "false front" in temple style, gives this building its look of distinction. Utilized by the Shingnon sect of Buddhism, Japanese laborers hired to work on the sugar plantations, continued to practice their faith here.

Site #25 Luakini Street

One block inland from Front St at Lahainaiuna Rd ending at Wainee St
Breadfruit trees were cleared so a funeral procession for Princess Nahienaena, buried in the Waine'e cemetery, could be honored here.

Site #26 Maria Lanakila Church

Corner of Waine'e and Dickenson streets
A small Catholic Church was established here in 1856, ten years after the first arrival of Roman Catholic priests. Today's church is a larger replica of the original building.

Site #27 Seamen's Cemetery

Next to Maria Lanikila Church
Lives of sailors could end easily with whaling hardships and poor medical care, even getting ashore in Lahaina could prove treacherous. The cemetery here and the adjacent plot next to it were the primary burial grounds for deceased seamen.

Site #28 Hale Pa'i

980 Lahainaluna Rd
Lahainaluna Seminary's print shop was built by Protestant missionaries in 1831. Prior to their arrival there was no written Hawaiian language. In order to spread and teach the works of the Bible, the missionaries devised the Hawaiian alphabet and used the print shop to create textbooks. In 1980 the Lahaina Restoration Foundation restored the building and established a museum here.

Site #29 Wo Hing Temple & Museum

858 Front St
The Wo Hing Temple built in 1912 was the social center for Chinese immigrants here to work in the sugar cane fields. Restored in 1983 by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, it is now a museum and movie theatre showcasing Chinese history in Lahaina and movies filmed by Thomas Edison when he visited Hawaii in 1898 and 1903.

#30 Seamen's Hospital

On Front St
Thousands of ill or injured sailors were abandoned in Hawaii by crews unwilling to shoulder the responsibility. At the request of the American government, Kamehameha III designated a shelter in Lahaina for their care. In 1974 the Lahaina Restoration Foundation purchased and restored the building.

Site #31 Jodo Mission

Off Ala Moana near Mala Wharf
The largest statue of Buddha in the United States. Popular grounds for an annual O bon celebration.

Other sites worth visiting:

Hale Kahiko

Parking lot of Lahaina Center, 900 Front St
A modern day replica of a Hawaiian Village showcases traditional building styles and structures. Complimentary hula shows and other demonstrations are staged here.

Lahaina Store (Takeuchi Building)

744 Front St
Built in 1915, this concrete ocean-facing building was operated by the Pioneer Mill as a provisional store and Baldwin Packers pineapple brand beef distributor. The store operated until 1952, then became home to Lahaina Fashion Center. In 1990 Planet Hollywood, a celebrity-backed chain restaurant, briefly occupied the structure. Today's tenants include several shops, a downstairs dance club called "Paradice Bluz" and a fine dining rooftop restaurant and oyster Bar.

Old Lahaina Luau

Across from the Cannery Mall
With attention to detail, the luau grounds offer historical and Hawaiian cultural-packed dinner shows and breakfast programs.

Pioneer Mill's Smoke Stack

Lahainaluna Road & Hwy 30
Except for its landmark smoke stack, the entire mill was pulled down in 2006. Today, a local coffee shop operates out of a cute green cottage abutting the tall, gray chimney. The sugar mill was opened in 1860 by James Campbell, and grew in prominence through a succession of owners. Amfac closed the doors in 1999.

Sugar Cane Train

957 Limahana Pl
An example of the industrial railroads that traversed the agricultural fields of Maui, the sugar cane train offers historic tours by train and dinner shows.

For more information, tours, insight, donations or to volunteer, please contact the following organizations. We encourage visitors and locals alike to get involved to better understand our Lahaina heritage.

Friends of Moku'ula
Working to restore the scared island and fish ponds, once located in Lahaina.
505 Front Street Suite 234
Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone (808) 661-3659

Lahaina Restoration Foundation
Preserves historical landmarks, museums and historical data for Lahaina.
120 Dickenson Street
Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 661-3262

Lahaina Town Action Committee
Supports and coordinates town celebrations and events. Operates the Lahaina Visitor Center and museum in the Old Courthouse.
648 Wharf St #102
Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 667-9175

Maui Nei
Offers guided historical walking tours of Lahaina.
505 Front Street, Suite 221
Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 661-9494

Project Malama Honokowai Gulch
Works to protect and propagate endemic and indigenous plants.
Meets Saturday mornings at 9:00 am at the Puukolii train station to weed, clear and plant. All welcome.
Maui Cultural Lands
1067-A Pookela Road
Makawao, HI 96768
(808) 572-8085

Save Honolua Coalition
Meeting to preserve Honolua Bay and stop development.
Meets Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm in Kamehameha III School's gymnasium off Front Street (all the way in the back) for community input and scheduled speakers.
(808) 669-8856