Hawaiian Historical Society

Hawaiian Historical Society Organized in January 1892, HHS preserves historical materials in its library and publishes scholarly research in the peer-reviewed Hawaiian Journal of History.

October is Honolulu LGBTQ+ Pride Month! Come celebrate with HHS, Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, and...
09/20/2026

October is Honolulu LGBTQ+ Pride Month! Come celebrate with HHS, Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, and Lei Pua ʻAla on Saturday, October 24, 2026 10:30am to 12:30pm. Limited seating, registration is highly encouraged https://bit.ly/LeiPuaAlaBookTalk2026 Walk-ins welcomed permitted space.

This event is complimentary to our communities and everyone is welcome.

Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, and DeSoto Brown, will talk story about the Lei Pua ʻAla project and Dean and Joe’s article, Histories of Gender and Sexual Diversity in Hawaiʻi, published in the newest volume (59) of The Hawaiian Journal of History.

After the talk session, we invite you to ask our panel questions as well as walk through the Reading Room Library & Archives to see on display rare, archival material from Hawaiian Historical Society and Hawaiian Mission Houses that supports historical narratives and the vision of Lei Pua ʻAla.

Celebrating Hawaiian History Month, we feature Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani (June 17, 1826 – May 24, 1883). Keʻelikōlani w...
09/17/2026

Celebrating Hawaiian History Month, we feature Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani (June 17, 1826 – May 24, 1883). Keʻelikōlani was a member of the House of Kamehameha who served as Governor of the Island of Hawaiʻi and for a period, was the largest and wealthiest landowner in the Hawaiian Islands. She chose to speak only ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, even as Western influence spread. After her death, her wealth was passed to her cousin, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, helping pave the way for Kamehameha Schools.

Image: Studio Portrait of Keʻelikōlani, photo by M. Dickson, date unknown. Hawaiian Historical Society, Call No. 4145.

Want to learn more? There's an HJH for that! Read, "Remembering the Royal Residences of Kapālama: The Homes of Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani and Queen Lili‘uokalani," By Ralph Thomas Kam, Hawaiian Journal of History, volume 47, 2013, pp. 147-177. http://hdl.handle.net/10524/36265

On this day in 2021: The Hawaiʻi State Board of Education approves the renaming of Central Middle School to Princess Rut...
09/16/2026

On this day in 2021: The Hawaiʻi State Board of Education approves the renaming of Central Middle School to Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani Middle School.

Image 1: Exterior view of Princess Ruth's House, photo by M. Dickson, date unknown, Hawaiian Historical Society, Call. No. 2,899

Image 2: Interior view of Princess Ruth's House, photographer and date unknown, Hawaiian Historical Society, Call. No. 2,894

Image 3: Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani Middle School, date and photographer unknown. Photo Courtesy of The Hawaiʻi State Board of Education.

On this day in 1853: A merchant tailor, J.H. McColgan brings the first sewing machines from New York.Photographed here i...
09/12/2026

On this day in 1853: A merchant tailor, J.H. McColgan brings the first sewing machines from New York.

Photographed here is an illustrated instructional manual both in English and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi for the Domestic Sewing Machine. Supposedly, these are the only two manuals known to exist.

Images:
Ka Buke hoike kuhikuhi wiki humuhumu “Dometika.” Me ke ao kumu ole ia “The Book of directions for the “Domestic” sewing machine. Learn without a teacher. Honolulu, c. 1890. Hawaiian Historical Society, Call. No. H 687.1 D72; H 687.1 D73.

On this day in 1849: Dr. G.P. Judd, Alexander Liholiho, and Lot depart on tour of the United States and Europe to improv...
09/11/2026

On this day in 1849: Dr. G.P. Judd, Alexander Liholiho, and Lot depart on tour of the United States and Europe to improve international relations.

Image: Alexander Liholiho Private Journal, 1849, Hawaiian Historical Society, Call No. MS B L62.

Want to see the Journal IRL?! Schedule your reference appointment today by e-mailing [email protected]

Reference hours are Thursdays-Fridays 10am-4pm and Saturdays 10am-2pm. Researching the collections is always complimentary to our communities. Become a member or donate to keep services like this going strong! Visit www.hawaiianhistory.org

Celebrating Hawaiian History Month, we feature John Henry Wise (July 19, 1868 – August 12, 1937). He was a Native Hawaii...
09/09/2026

Celebrating Hawaiian History Month, we feature John Henry Wise (July 19, 1868 – August 12, 1937). He was a Native Hawaiian politician, businessman, religious leader, and educator of Hawaiʻi. In his youth, he became the first Native Hawaiian to play college football, while he attended theology school at Oberlin College. During his political career in the Hawaiʻi Territorial Legislature, he helped pass the Hawaiian Homelands Act of 1921. In later life, he served as an instructor of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) at the Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaiʻi.

Image: John Henry Wise, photographer unknown, ca. 1892. Attributed to Oberlin College Archives.

Want to learn more? There's an HJH for that! Read, "To Raise a Voice in Praise: The Revivalist Mission of John Henry Wise, 1889-1896," By Dr. Ronald C. Williams, Jr., Hawaiian Journal of History, volume 46, 2012, pp. 1-36. http://hdl.handle.net/10524/33792

In observance of Labor Day, HHS will be closed today, Saturday, September 5, 2026.We will resume business hours on Tuesd...
09/05/2026

In observance of Labor Day, HHS will be closed today, Saturday, September 5, 2026.

We will resume business hours on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 from 9am to 4pm. Our reference hours are Thursdays-Fridays 10am to 4pm and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. E-mail [email protected] to schedule your reference appointment.

On this day in 1866: The first daily newspaper, the Hawaiian Herald, begins publication.“...we have place the terms of t...
09/05/2026

On this day in 1866: The first daily newspaper, the Hawaiian Herald, begins publication.

“...we have place the terms of the Daily Herald at a figure which will bring it within the reach of all.”

Image 1-2: Daily Hawaiian Herald, September 4, 1866, Hawaiian Historical Society, Call No. 070 D14.

Hauʻoli Lā Hānau iā Queen Liliʻuokalani!On this day in 1838: Queen Liliʻuokalani was born in Honolulu, on the island of ...
09/02/2026

Hauʻoli Lā Hānau iā Queen Liliʻuokalani!

On this day in 1838: Queen Liliʻuokalani was born in Honolulu, on the island of Oʻahu. While her natural parents were Analea Keohokālole and Caesar Kapaʻakea, she was hānai (informally adopted) at birth by Abner Pākī and Laura Kōnia and raised with their daughter Bernice Pauahi Bishop.

Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on January 17, 1893.

The composer of “Aloha ʻOe” and numerous other works, she wrote her autobiography, Hawaiʻi’s Story by Hawaiʻi’s Queen (1898), during her imprisonment following the overthrow.

What a way to start our celebrations for Hawaiian History Month by honoring Queen Liliʻuokalani.

Image: Studio portrait of Liliʻuokalani, photographer unknown, ca. 1880s. Hawaiian Historical Society, Call No. 4870.

On this day in 1908: Paniolo, Ikua Purdy, wins the Steer Roping Championship at the annual Frontier Days Celebration in ...
08/23/2026

On this day in 1908: Paniolo, Ikua Purdy, wins the Steer Roping Championship at the annual Frontier Days Celebration in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

In 1999 Ikua Purdy was inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Image: Ikua Purdy (center) with fellow paniolos in front of Livery and Boarding stockyard stables, photographer unknown, 1905. Hawaiian Historical Society, Call No. 3480.

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560 Kawaiahao Street
Honolulu, HI
96813

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Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm

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