Hawaii – Page 2 – Historic Hawaii Foundation

Preserving the Kona Way of Life

Living History in Kona by Christine Thomas At its root, Kona remains a committed farming and ranching community. While the coast may be dotted with visitors and resorts, the mauka region is dedicated to growing crops,raising cattle and working the land. Housed in the old H. N. Greenwell general store in Kealakekua, the Kona Historical Society (KHS) upholds the mission of preserving Kona’s past to share it with future generations. It manages a robust Kona-centered archive and two historic sites--the Greenwell Store and adjacent Uchida Coffee farm, both run as living history museums. When KHS acquired the 7-acre coffee farm that had been run by the Uchida family for three generations in 1996, preservation was the goal. KHS decided to not only preserve the coffee mill, but the entire farm as a second living history museum to showcase the way of life of generations of Kona residents. Historic Hawaii Foundation (HHF) helped KHS find consultants and conservators to help bring the farm back into working order, restore the orchards and 100-year-old trees, and create an unforgettable experience that brings visitors back to the 1920‘s-1940‘s era of the farm during the coffee heyday. The property was painstakingly repaired to ensure historical accuracy, and today even includes chickens and a donkey, which would once have been used to pack and deliver bags of coffee. HHF continues to help celebrate and acknowledge volunteers and community members who actively preserve the Kona way of life, the way generations of Kona residents were raised. Farms provided a lasting foundation and ethic of hard work that can be seen in such pioneering families as the Uchidas. What was a way of life then, for many Kona residents, still is. Fast [...]

HistoricHawaii2017-04-21T01:01:17-10:00August 12th, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: #Historic, #Kona, #KonaCoffee, #restoration, Hawaii, Kona Historical Society, Preservation|

Hawaii Tourism Conference to Feature Heritage Tourism Mobile Workshops

Two mobile workshops at this year's Hawaii Tourism Conference will provide an opportunity for members of the tourism industry to learn more about heritage tourism and how historic sites and attractions can be incorporated into visitors' island experience. Today's travelers are constantly in search of new experiences, and Hawaii's unique culture and heritage offers some of the best opportunities to attract and engage with both visitors and residents. For the first time, HTA is partnering with the Historic Hawaii Foundation to offer Heritage Tourism Mobile Workshops at historic sites on Oahu. Participants will learn about each area's cultural significance, impact and opportunities for incorporating and supporting these sites and experiences into offerings for visitors and residents. WHAT: 2015 Hawaii Tourism Conference WHY: The Hawaii Tourism Authority, the state's tourism agency, will hold its annual Hawaii Tourism Conference. The two-day conference is Hawaii's premier tourism stakeholder event featuring local, national and international leading experts in their fields sharing insight on tourism issues and trends unique to Hawaii's visitor industry. The Conference is attended by all stakeholders of the Hawaii travel and tourism industry including hotels and resorts, bed & breakfasts, timeshares, restaurants, festivals & events, retail stores, attractions, cultural organizations, restaurants, community leaders, and other related organizations and businesses working together to attain the State’s vision for a Hawaii that is the best place to live, work and visit. For the conference schedule and additional information on the Hawaii Tourism Conference, click here. WHEN: August 27-28, 2015 WHERE: Hawaii Convention Center, Honolulu 1801 Kalakaua Avenue Honolulu, Hawai‘i REGISTRATION IS OPEN: Registration fees include conference sessions, breakfasts, Tourism Legacy Awards luncheon and a pau hana reception. Early bird rates are available through Aug. 3 at $195 per person or $185 per person [...]

HistoricHawaii2017-04-21T01:01:17-10:00July 31st, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: #heritagetourism, #Historic, #HTA, #Tourism, Hawaii|

Disappearing Lanai – A Pictorial Essay

Preservation in the News: This stunning pictorial and historical account of Lanai will leave you breathless. Disappearing Lanai by: Derek Paiva, Photography by Grant Kaye | Hawaii Magazine - Jun 25, 2015 Lanai has always been the definition of home for Grant Kaye. Of his 36 years, the Oahu-born photographer has been a full time resident of the island for only four—from the days following his birth up until his parents, Robin and Sally, moved the family to Pennsylvania just as Kaye was about to begin school. Now living near Lake Tahoe, Kaye returns several times annually to visit his parents who, a decade ago, finally moved back to retire in the home they long ago bought, moved away from, but always kept on Lanai. Ultimately assuring Kaye could call nowhere else in the world home, however, were the summer vacations he’d spend on Lanai from grade school through his high school graduation—times spent reconnecting with friends, his extended hanai ohana (adopted family) and the island itself. On Lanai, the Pennsylvania kid would revel in days and nights spent spearfishing, camping, beaching and exploring with his summer buddies. Guided and educated by family friend “Uncle” Albert Morita, a game warden who was raised on Lanai, Kaye found the little-populated, largely undeveloped 140-square-mile island an undiscovered country ripe for exploration. “Every trip back, my dad and I would spend as much time as we could with Uncle Albert, who would always want to take us to somewhere that we’d never been before,” remembers Kaye. “His family had lived on [Lanai] forever and he had such a deep love for the island and still does. We’d go to see petroglyphs or a heiau, always someplace different.” Those summers [...]

HistoricHawaii2017-04-21T01:01:17-10:00July 23rd, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: #fishpond, #Historic, #Lanai, #restoration, Hawaii, Preservation|

Community Workshop Scheduled to Revisit Vision for Pearl Harbor Historic Trail

Preservation in the News: Imagine an 18-mile shoreline trail from Aiea to Nanakuli incorporating historic sites, recreation areas and various other related attractions? Come to the community meeting and workshop at Aiea Elementary School on Wednesday, July 22 to discuss and help form the vision. Pearl Harbor Historic Trail meeting set By Jayna Omaye, Honolulu Star Advertiser Jul 16, 2015 The vision of the Pearl Harbor Historic Trail took root nearly 15 years ago when Aiea and Pearl City residents helped to compile a master plan for a trail along the shoreline to Nanakuli from Aiea that would host, among other things, improved bicycle and pedestrian paths, boat tours and a cultural learning center. City officials are now making efforts to relaunch the project that seeks to drive economic development and establish historic preservation plans on an 18-mile trail linking neighborhoods to various attractions, historic sites and recreation areas along the old Oahu Railway & Land Co. corridor. The master plan, developed in 2001 through community input and adopted by the City Council in 2003, serves as the basis for the revitalization of the shoreline that currently features a city-run bike path from Pearl Harbor to Waipahu and Ewa Beach, with the hope of extending it into Nanakuli. A long-term goal was to operate a steam train along the entire historic railway by extending a route that the Hawaiian Railway Society currently operates from Ewa Beach to Kahe Point. In 2005, then-Gov. Linda Lingle signed a bill that officially recognized the path from Halawa Landing near the USS Arizona Visitors Center through Waipahu as the Pearl Harbor Historic Trail, which was seen by proponents as a breakthrough in moving forward with the master plan. Officials [...]

HistoricHawaii2017-04-21T01:01:17-10:00July 20th, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: #fishpond, #Historic, #Lanai, #restoration, Hawaii, Preservation|

800 year old Lanai Fishpond to be Restored

Preservation in the News: Multiple generations come out to help with the restoration of an 800 year old fishpond on the island of Lanai. Nonprofit group to restore ancient Lanai fishpond July 15, 2015 By Associated Press WAILUKU >> A fishpond on the coastline of Lanai that is believed to be 800 years old is being restored this summer by children and adults. The Maui News reports that the nonprofit Lanai Culture & Heritage Center began work to restore the Waiopae fish pond last month with the help from some 140 children and teens. The restoration project is a public-private partnership between the nonprofit and landowner Pulama Lana'i. The group hopes to restore the pond's barrier by building a 2,000-foot long, crescent shaped wall that will be 500 feet from the shore at its farthest point. The restoration project is the first program under a new bill that passed this year which simplified the permitting process for groups applying to restore and maintain Hawaiian fishponds.

HistoricHawaii2017-04-21T01:01:17-10:00July 15th, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: #fishpond, #Historic, #Lanai, #restoration, Hawaii, Preservation|

Preservation Tips: Removing Graffiti from Historic Buildings

Safely Removing Graffiti from Historic Buildings July 1, 2015 Building owners, professionals and concerned community members joined us at Lyon Associates on 45 N. King Street yesterday for the first of 3 presentations in our Sustaining Chinatown: Historic Preservation Summer Series 2015. The series is co-sponsored by Historic Hawaii Foundation, Chinatown Improvement District and Lyon Associates. A tip for removing graffiti from historic buildings from yesterday's presentation: always use the gentlest means possible to avoid harming the underlying material. Chinatown brick is soft and will powder if the hard exterior layer is removed. Make sure the mortar is well-pointed before using pressure washing to avoid water damage. Chemical cleaning tests found that “Dumond Smart Strip Pro” was most effective for spray paint and silver coating on brick (but not for use on softer materials, like limestone or marble substrates). For more information and availability go to www.dumondchemicals.com A report on the results of a study on Graffiti Cleaning and Prevention on Historic Chinatown Buildings with useful information on graffiti prevention and treatment approaches will be available soon. Email outreach@historichawaii.org to request a PDF copy when it's published. Though the study's focus is buildings in Honolulu's Chinatown, the information is applicable to buildings made of similar construction materials located throughout Hawaii. Upcoming sessions will cover water damage & repair and tax credits & permitting in a historic district. Click here for more information and to register.

HistoricHawaii2017-04-21T01:01:17-10:00July 1st, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: #Historic, #HistoricCemeteries, #HistoricHawaiiFoundation, cemeteries, Hawaii, Preservation|

Architecture and Preservation Communities Mourn the Passing of Spencer Leineweber

Spencer Leineweber and her husband, Michael, were charter members and stalwart supporters of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and heritage protection efforts for over 40 years. Spencer received HHF’s Haines Award for lifetime achievement in historic preservation in 2013. Her preservation projects included restoration of notable sites such as Hawai‘i Mission Houses; Lyman Museum; Hawai‘i Plantation Village; and ‘Ewa Village. She was a Professor and Director of Graduate Programs at the School of Architecture at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and oversaw the Heritage Center at the university. She authored the Campus Heritage Report for UH-Mānoa, and oversaw the preservation work at the Charlot House. She also served as one of the Hawai‘i Advisors to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and on the Committee for Historic Resources for the American Institute of Architects. Less than a week before her death, Spencer attended a meeting of historic homeowners about a bill being considered by the Honolulu City Council that would reduce preservation incentives, lending her expertise and authority to the advocacy effort. We will miss her deeply, and our sympathies go to her family.

HistoricHawaii2017-04-21T01:01:18-10:00June 29th, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: #Historic, #HistoricCemeteries, #HistoricHawaiiFoundation, cemeteries, Hawaii, Preservation|

Preserving Hawaii’s Historic Cemeteries

Preservation in the News: This past week, UH Students and community members learned best practices for grave marker restoration and documentation from experts including Richard Miller who oversees the restoration of thousands of burial sites at Kalaupapa National Historic Park on Molokai. ********* Bruce Asato / basato@staradvertiser.com University of Hawaii architecture student Lin Whipkey used shaving cream Thursday to make out lettering on a gravestone that was otherwise unreadable in Ma‘e¬ma‘e Chapel Cemetery in Nuu¬anu. UH students in American studies and architecture joined community members to gather and re¬cord information at the cemetery. Of grave concern: Protecting cemeteries A historic cemetery receives care as community members and students work to document the people buried there By Dan Nakaso Honolulu Star Advertiser, Jun 6, 2015 One half of an ancient grave marker lay in a hole at Ma‘ema‘e Chapel Cemetery in Nuuanu among a pile of rocks. The other half had been left nearby. Both pieces were discovered Thursday during a University of Hawaii and community effort to document the condition of the half-acre cemetery and its 120 or so burial sites. Richard Miller, who oversees the restoration of thousands of burial sites at Kalaupapa National Historic Park on Molokai, on Friday showed the UH students and community members how to seal the two pieces of the weather-worn headstone back together with masonry epoxy. After spending two days cleaning and documenting the conditions of the grave markers and burial sites at Ma‘ema‘e, the 20 or so American-studies students and community members will do similar work cleaning and cataloging grave markers Wednesday and Thursday at Pauoa Hawaiian Cemetery in Pauoa. Then they'll give detailed information about the state of the burial sites at both locations [...]

HistoricHawaii2017-04-21T01:01:18-10:00June 8th, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: #Historic, #HistoricCemeteries, #HistoricHawaiiFoundation, cemeteries, Hawaii, Preservation|

Kauai Lighthouse Shines a Beacon on the Past

Preservation in the News: a captivating tour spotlights the lighthouse at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge renamed the Daniel K. Inouye Kilauea Point Lighthouse after the late Senator. ********* PHOTO: HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY A view of the lighthouse’s dramatic location overlooking the ocean. Tours illuminate Kauai lighthouse's beauty, past By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi Honolulu Star Advertiser, May 24, 2015 Old and worn — like a fisherman who's spent too many days in the wind and sun." That was Louise Barnfield's impression of the lighthouse at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge when she saw it on her first visit to Kauai in January 2008. The senior manager for Oracle Corp. and her husband, who were then living in the San Francisco Bay area, visited Kauai five times after that before retiring there in August 2012. On four of those trips, they returned to the lighthouse and were happy to see restoration work underway. "I started volunteering at the refuge the week after we moved to Kauai," Barnfield said. "By then, the lighthouse was shrouded in scaffolding and tenting. A sign said the work would be completed for its centennial on May 1, 2013." COURTESY JILLIAN COSGROVE/USFWS The Daniel K. Inouye Kilauea Point Lighthouse, left. In 1909, the U.S. government purchased the 31-acre site for it from Kilauea Sugar Co. for $1 and allocated $75,000 for the project. Construction began in July 1912, and the station was dedicated on May 1, 1913. Its beacon could be seen from 20 miles at sea, 90 miles from the air. Kilauea Point Light Station, later called Kilauea Point Lighthouse, guided ships past Kauai's rugged north coast for more than 60 years (see sidebar). During its centennial [...]

HistoricHawaii2017-04-21T01:01:18-10:00June 2nd, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: Hawaii, petroglyphs, Preservation, Volcano|

Preserving Hawaii’s Petroglyphs with Imaging Technology

Preservation in the News: Imaging technology allows for a clearer image and a way to monitor changes for Hawaii petroglyphs, many of which are located at sites at risk due to volcanic activity. ********* Petroglyphs in fine detail Imaging technology new to Hawaii brings out details of ancient carvings at an Army base By Nina Wu Honolulu Star , May 24, 2015 Photo credit: Jamm Aquino / jaquino@staradvertiser.com Torie Robinson, right, a cultural resources technician with the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii, pointed to an anthropomorphic figure on a basalt rock face in January at Fort Shafter in Kalihi. At left is cultural resources specialist Anthony Casciano. To the naked eye, the faint carvings at Fort Shafter appear to include a human figure holding a canoe paddle over two other figures. The panel is one of more than seven Hawaiian petroglyph features archaeologists discovered 15 years ago on a rock face atop a small, brush-covered hillside known as Kahauiki Stream at U.S. Army Pacific headquarters between Kalihi and Moanalua valleys. With the help of a cutting-edge technology new to Hawaii — reflectance transformation imaging, or RTI — archaeologists recently discovered the panel has quite a few more human figures, or anthropomorphs, along with several dog figures. The artistic style is consistent with petroglyphs dating to the pre-contact era (before 1778), according to U.S. Army Cultural Resources Program archaeologist Alton Exzabe. Before RTI was employed, he said, the petroglyphs were documented using regular photography, scaled drawings and hand sketches. "The sketches didn't seem to show everything we were seeing," Exzabe said. "RTI allows us to get a more precise, as well as clearer, image, and a way to monitor changes more accurately." Exzabe's [...]

HistoricHawaii2017-04-21T01:01:18-10:00May 28th, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: Hawaii, petroglyphs, Preservation, Volcano|