Historic Hawaiian flag returns to royal capital of Lahaina
By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor
LAHAINA, Maui — On a day in which Hawai'i's political future may be cast, a souvenir of its tumultuous political past is being returned to the Islands' onetime capital of Lahaina.
Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser
The family of former Lahaina Postmaster Arthur Waal today will present for display the Hawaiian flag that he ceremoniously lowered outside the Lahaina Court & Custom House to mark annexation in 1898.
The family of Arthur Waal Sr. holds the Hawaiian flag on the steps of the Old Lahaina Courthouse. From left: Jane Waal, Molly Spector, Patty Waal Geraty and Arthur Waal Jr.
Waal would later recount that bittersweet day in writing:
"As I was looking up at the Hawaiian flag during the last minutes of its official existence, I can truly say that I had been very happy and contented in Old Hawai'i, and frankly regret the change. NO ONE NEED TO BE ASHAMED TO HAVE LIVED UNDER THE COLORS OF THE HAWAIIAN FLAG.
"To the Hawaiian people, it was a very formal occasion, and a very touching one. The Hawaiian women were clad in their long, loose holokus, with their fragrant leis reminiscent of the old Hawaiian days. While the Hawaiian flag at noon of Friday, Aug. 12, 1898, was being slowly lowered, everyone stood up, and at attention were singing softly and mournfully to the strains of 'Hawai'i Pono'i.' "
An identical ceremony was held that same day at 'Iolani Palace, the seat of the Hawaiian monarchy that was overthrown in 1893. Hawai'i was annexed in 1898 by a joint resolution in Congress after an annexation treaty failed.
The Lahaina flag, made of hemp cloth, and other memorabilia of the era were packed away in a cedar chest, a suitcase and a metal cabinet for more than 40 years after Waal's death before his descendants decided in June 2001 it was time to sort through the items.
"We grew up with (the flag) in a cedar chest and didn't really know the significance of it," said Waal's granddaughter, Patty Waal Geraty of Chatsworth, Calif.
Geraty's father, Arthur Waal Jr., 84, and wife Jane, who now live in San Francisco, flew back to Hawai'i this week with Geraty and another daughter, Molly Spector, to loan the flag, photos and other items to the Lahaina Visitors Center for display at the Old Lahaina Courthouse.
File photo
Arthur Waal Jr. was born in Honolulu and is a 1936 Punahou graduate.
Former Lahaina Postmaster Arthur Waal Sr., pictured in 1902, was given the task of lowering the Hawaiian flag on Aug. 12, 1898.
"Since we were little, this is something my dad wanted to do for his dad," Geraty said.
Sometime in the 1890s, Arthur Waal — then 17 — sailed from Norway to Hawai'i to stay with relatives. After stopping in Honolulu, he came to Maui and was hired as a luna for a Lahaina sugar plantation. An illness forced him to stop work for awhile, and he recuperated at the home of Postmaster George W. Hayselden.
During his convalescence, Waal began working part time at the post office. He had been named assistant postmaster when he was given the task of lowering the Hawaiian flag and raising the Stars and Stripes on Aug. 12, 1898, as Hayselden was absent.
Waal would later write that he was reluctant to accept the honor, but was told: "Someone will have to lower and raise the flags. Why not you?"
Assisting him that day were Deputy Sheriff Alfred N. Hayselden and police officer Charles Ho'opi'i.
Waal would serve as Lahaina postmaster from 1898 to 1916 under commissions granted by Republic of Hawai'i President Sanford B. Dole and four U.S. presidents — William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson.
When he was honored in 1955 at a Hawai'i Postal Workers Employees lu'au, the Honolulu Advertiser reported that if he hadn't been ousted because of a change in administration, "Waal said he would have kept on being a postmaster because he liked the job, made friends with everybody and knew everybody and everybody's business."
He wrote a self-published book called "Lahaina in 1898" that includes photos now on display at the Old Lahaina Courthouse.
"We're hoping this will bring more artifacts back to Lahaina. This reinforces the importance of Lahaina as the former seat of the Hawaiian government" from 1820 to 1845, said Theo Morrison of the Lahaina Town Action Committee, which runs the center.
Waal died on May 26, 1959, before seeing Hawai'i attain statehood three months later. One might wonder what he would have thought of that latest chapter in the history of the Islands or today's political landscape. Looking back on the day the flag of the Republic of Hawai'i was lowered in Lahaina, he wrote:
"On this bright and sunny day at Lahaina, a new territory was added to the United States of America. To its new citizens, may it bring further happiness and prosperity. These were my sincere wishes. Time will tell."
A flag presentation with the Waal family will be held at 1 p.m. today at the Old Lahaina Courthouse.
Reach Christie Wilson at (808) 244-4880, or e-mail at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Correction: Hawai'i was annexed in 1898 by a joint resolution in Congress after an annexation treaty failed. Information about the treaty was wrong in a previous version of this story.
