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.

HHS will be closed from 12pm, Wednesday, October 7, 2026 - Thursday, October 8, 2026. We will re-open on Friday, October...
10/07/2026

HHS will be closed from 12pm, Wednesday, October 7, 2026 - Thursday, October 8, 2026. We will re-open on Friday, October 9, 2026. Mahalo!

Wednesday, we will be speaking with other professionals in the preservation field at UH Mānoa. Come talk with us and learn more about what we do! From 2-3:30pm at Campus Center, Room 308. There'll be snacks!

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has partnered with the Mānoa Career Center to give students a firsthand look at some of the many paths a career in historic preservation can take.

This event is open to UH Mānoa undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni, as well as high school, community college, and other local college students exploring their options.

On this day in 2024: Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi proclaims the Rainbow Shower (Cassia x nealiae "Wilhelmina Tenney") ...
10/02/2026

On this day in 2024: Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi proclaims the Rainbow Shower (Cassia x nealiae "Wilhelmina Tenney") the Official Pride Tree of Honolulu.

Not only is October Archives Month, it is also Honolulu LGBTQ+ Pride Month. This month we celebrate all the historical narratives that support all of our communities.

What a way to kick off We are excited to announce Hawaiian Historical Society is a featured nonprofit in the 🎯Target C...
10/01/2026

What a way to kick off We are excited to announce Hawaiian Historical Society is a featured nonprofit in the 🎯Target Circle Community Giving Program this quarter! That means from October 1 to December 31 every time you shop at Target, you earn votes that turn into real 💰MONEY for us--at absolutely ZERO cost to you.

1️⃣ Make sure you are a Target Circle member. It's free and you can save on all your purchases. purchases will turn into votes.
3️⃣Open your target App or log in online
4️⃣ Tap Target Circle
5️⃣Select "Vote for nonprofits" and cast your available votes for Hawaiian Historical Society

Voting takes 30 seconds or less. Votes will determine how much funding we will be awarded. Join us in helping to keep our history alive with a tap of your finger! Please share and encourage others to vote.

Don't live in Hawaiʻi? No worries, we gotchu. On the Target website or app, you can change your zip-code and store of choice in the top lefthand corner. Enter the zip code: 96814 and select a Target near Honolulu, HI before going to cast votes.

Support our efforts to:
💻Digitize & Preserve-Protect fragile historical documents, photographs, journals...you name it we're caring for it!
🧾Expand Access-Keep our doors open and our lights on for our communities to access historical materials and learn
👶Fuel Literacy-Funds our community outreach programs

Mahalo to Target for the opportunity to raise funds and awareness of Hawaiian Historical Society.

Celebrating Hawaiian History Month, we feature Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau (October 29, 1815 – September 5, 1876). Kamak...
10/01/2026

Celebrating Hawaiian History Month, we feature Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau (October 29, 1815 – September 5, 1876). Kamakau was a Hawaiian historian and scholar. His work appeared in local newspapers and was later compiled into books, becoming an invaluable resource. He wrote over 300 articles for nūpepa ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi like Ka Nūpepa Kūʻokoʻa and Ke Au ʻOkoʻa. He wrote with incredible detail about ancient cultural practices, complex genealogies, and the political rise of the Kamehameha dynasty. His contemporary, John Papa ʻĪʻī, famously marvelled at Kamakau's accuracy, remarking that he wrote about historic events "as though he had been an eyewitness."

As Hawaiian History Month comes to a close, we celebrated a few significant, historical figures, but we are grateful to all of those that help to build a stronger lāhui.

Want to learn more? We got an HJH for that! Read, "Historical Disconnect: Posthumous Publication of Puzzle Pieces by S. M. Kamakau," By M. Puakea Nogelmeier, Hawaiian Journal of History, volume 59, 2025. Purchase your newest copy of the Hawaiian Journal of History from us or become a member today! All members receive a complimentary copy of this Journal, while supplies last.

Image 1: Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau, Hawaiian Historical Society.

Celebrating Hawaiian History Month, we feature Joseph Mokuohai Poepoe (1852-1913). Fluent in English and well versed in ...
09/24/2026

Celebrating Hawaiian History Month, we feature Joseph Mokuohai Poepoe (1852-1913). Fluent in English and well versed in French, Latin, and Hebrew, Poepoe was an editor, storey-teller, and translator that would also write under the pen name Ho‘oulumāhiehie. He was the editor for many nā nūpepa ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, such as Ke Aloha Aina, and Ka Hoku o ke Kai.

Poepoe's short biography was published in Aloha Aina, 10/26/1912, p. 1.

Want to learn more? There's an HJH for that! Read, "Newspapers of Hawai'i 1834 to 1903: From He Liona to the Pacific Cable," By Helen Geracimos Chapin, Hawaiian Journal of History, volume 18, 1984, pp. 47-86.

Image 1: Joseph Mokuohai Poepoe, photographer unknown, ca. 1913, Wikimedia Commons.

Image 2: Ka Hoku o ke Kai, Hawaiian Historical Society.

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

Address

560 Kawaiahao Street
Honolulu, HI
96813

Opening Hours

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

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