Calendar takes a trip into past

By Wanda A. Adams
Assistant Features Editor

Notable dates in island history March 7, 1848: Great Mahele (land division) is completed. May 23, 1960: Tsunami hits Big Island. July 14, 1824: Kamehameha II dies in London. Sept. 26, 1861: First Hawaiian-language newspaper published by Native Hawaiians, Ka Hoku O Ka Pakipika, was published Jan. 1, 1903: First telegraph message is sent from Hawai'i to the Mainland. Nov. 23, 1982: Hurricane 'Iwa does heavy damage.

The 2003 calendar, on sale now, is a fund-raiser for the organization, which operates a research library, publishes journals and organizes activities designed to increase knowledge and understanding of the history of Hawai'i and the Pacific.

The calendar makes note of significant dates in Hawai'i history. It is a way of answering questions frequently phoned in to the society — such as, "When is Chinese New Year this year?" (Feb. 1) and, "What are the dates for the Merrie Monarch hula competition?" (April 24-26).

And it serves to showcase a new and mysterious acquisition: a collection of more than 100 Hawai'i photographs that turned up in an attic in Ohio, of all places.

Society administrative director and librarian Barbara Dunn said a society board member suggested they make a calendar. Dunn wanted to do something more than include historical photographs; she came up with the idea of adding nuggets of history.

"I particularly wanted to highlight Hawai'i's ali'i — those people whose names are on buildings but whose identities and significance have been lost to most people," she said.

Dunn's colleague Karen Sinn, the only other member of the society staff, combed the files for significant dates, making use, too, of board member and former state statistician Robert Schmitt's compilation of "Hawai'i firsts."

It wasn't difficult to decide on the photographs: the J. J. Williams Collection of more than 100 albumin prints acquired last May by the society presented a wide-ranging body of work from which to choose.

The collection came to the society in an intriguing way: An antiques dealer in Ohio found a large cache of photographs marked with the name J. J. Williams and the word "Honolulu" in the attic of an old home.

Williams was a prolific photographer who operated a studio in Honolulu and traveled among the Islands from 1879 to his death in 1926. The photographs in this collection are not rare, but it is unusual to find a group of them, and they were in very good condition, Dunn said. The society negotiated a price for the photos, and board member C. Dudley Pratt donated the required sum.

The History of Hawai'i Calendar is on sale now at the society's library, 560 Kawaiaha'o St. (behind the Mission Houses Museum) and also will be at Native Books outlets for $12, $8 for members.

The calendar will be featured at the annual Hawaiian Historical Society open house and book sale, 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at the library. Call (808) 537-6271 for mail orders (add $5 shipping and handling; credit cards accepted). Or see www.hawaiianhistory.org.

Correction: The first telegraph message was sent from Hawai'i to the Mainland on Jan. 1, 1903. The first Hawaiian-language newspaper published by Native Hawaiians, Ka Hoku O Ka Pakipika, was published on Sept. 26, 1861. Incorrect information was contained in a previous version of this story.