::: TOWN POSTMARKS - Oahu Postmarks :::

Back to Island of Oahu.

Aiea, Ewa District
"Nothocestrum tree or shrub"
1899-1900
Postmaster: James A. Low (1899-1900).

A plantation town located on the eastern edge of Pearl Harbor. The Oahu Railroad opened its track to Aiea on November 16, 1889 and Aiea became a depot. Aiea was headquarters for the Honolulu Plantation Co., developed late in the 1890's. Earlier, it was ranch country known as the Halawa Ranch.

Ewa, Ewa District
"crooked"
1856-1871; 1889-1900
Postmasters: B. Pitman (1858), L. K. Halualani (1889-1890) and J. E. Kahoa (1890-1900). In 1860, Ewa and Waialua shared the same postmaster so query what kind of postal facility actually existed at Ewa in the earlier years. In 1868, it was a stop on the overland mai l route. In 1898, Ewa reported stamp sales of only $1. Commencing in 1890, mail was sent to Honolulu on the Oahu Railway from the Pearl City depot. The track was extended into Ewa Plantation by August, 1890 and mail for Ewa and Honouliuli was brought to Ewa.

Site of a mission station founded in 1835 and later headquarters for Ewa Plantation. Smallpox decimated the population of Ewa in 1851 and in 1865 it still had not recovered. Sugar planting was done at Ewa from early times but until the 1880's the area was ranch land. Commercial sugar planting began in 1879 when artesian wells were developed to provide sufficient irrigation water but large scale operations waited until the late 1880's.

Haleaha, Koolauloa District
"meeting house"
Postmaster: Rev. Kaapu (1881-1882). Kaapu must have been a postal agent here. He became postmaster when a formal post office was located at Punaluu in 1883.

No postmark known.

Hauula, Koolauloa District
"red hau tree"
1856-1861; 1884-1885; 1899-1900
Postmasters: J. Keaupuni (1884), C. Andrews (1899-1900). In reports commencing in 1875, no post office is listed officially for Hauula until 1899, so the 1880's facility probably was a postal agency. References identify the 1856-1861 office as a post office but a postmaster is not listed.

Village on the windward coast known for rice growing and stock farms with a large Hawaiian population. Small Hauula Plantation was located here in the 1890's.

Heeia, Koolaupoko District
"slide"
1891-1900
Postmasters: F. Bucholtz (1891-1894), Henry G. Danford (1894-1896), Wm. Fisher (1896-1898) and A. G. Hime (1899-1900). Danford was performing postal duties under Bucholtz until Bucholtz resigned as postmaster. In 1898, Heeia reported stamps sales of $120. The post office was in the plantation headquarters.

Rice growing center along Kaneohe Bay on the windward coast. By 1865, it was the site of a Catholic Church and seminary. A sugar plantation was at Heeia by 1879 and it was headquarters for the Heeia Agricultural Company. Heeia boasted one of the larger sugar plantations and mills in the vicinity of Kaneohe Bay. A stage line operated between Honolulu and Heeia via the Pali.

Honouliuli, Ewa District
"dark green harbor"
1890-1900
Postmasters: W. J. Lowrie (1890-1892), Andrew Lindsay (1892-1893), W. J. Lowrie (1894-1898) and G. F. Renton (1898-1900). In 1898, Honouliuli reported stamps sales of $438.25. The postmasters were connected with the plantation.

James Campbell owned a large ranch here in addition to his Kahuku Ranch. As of 1880, sugar planting had not come to Honouliuli. Ewa Plantation began in the late 1880's and Honouliuli served as the plantation town of the Ewa Plantation until 1897 and then was part of the Oahu Sugar Co. Lowrie was the first manager of Ewa Plantation.

Kaaawa, Koolauloa District
"wrasse fish"
No post office is recorded here.

Small settlement on the windward coast toward Kaneohe Bay from Punaluu in the Kualoa estate owned by Judd. C. G. Hopkins had an estate there but by 1865, it was a part of Oahu Plantation, headquartered at Kualoa. Judd's "home ranch" was located near here.

Kaalaea, Koolaupoko District
"ocherous earth"
1900
Postmaster: J. K. Maawe (1900); probably a postal agency as no post office is noted here in the reports. Formerly served by the facility at Kahaluu.

Village on windward Oahu. In 1865, it was the site of Kaalaea Plantation, managed by Rhodes Spencer, and a farm owned by a Jos. Stewart (see Kahaluu). Sugar planting around Kaalaea was unsuccessful. In 1888, the area was known for rice growing and the population was largely Hawaiian or Chinese.

No postmark recorded.

Kahaluu, Koolaupoko District
"diving place"
1865-1867
Postmaster: Jos. Stewart (1865-1867). Post office for the Kahana stop on the overland mail route.

Site of extensive taro terraces on windward Oahu near Waikane. Stewart farmed rice in the terraces in the 1860's. In 1844, a Catholic mission and school was established near here and the area was eventually purchased by Henry Macfarlane and operated as a dairy farm.

No postmarks recorded.

Kahuku, Koolauloa District
"projection"
1856-1861; 1890-1900
Postmasters: R. Moffitt (1859-1860), Alex. Young, Jr. (1890), Jas. Cowan (1890-1893), James F. Clay (1893), W. H. G. Arnemann (1894-1895), Geo. Weight (1896-1900). In 1859-1861, the post office covered Koolauloa District and Moffitt was listed as postmaster for Kahuku, Koolauloa and Hauula. Kahuku was a stop on the overland mail route. Kahuku Ranch kept a supply of stamps in 1879. In 1898, Kahuku reported stamps sales of $195.50

Moffitt owned and worked a farm and ranch of about 10,000 acres in Kahuku as early as 1851. In 1880, the ranch (then over 23,000 acres) was owned by James Campbell and later sugar planting made Kahuku headquarters for the Kahuku Plantation. Interisland steamers anchored off Kahuku and were loaded by boats from Kahuku pier. The steamer Kaala lost her anchorage and was smashed on the beach here in January, 1898. On January 1, 1899, Kahuku became the windward and northern terminus of the Oahu Railroad.

Kaneohe, Koolaupoko District
"bamboo [cruel] husband" referring to sharp bamboo [Pukui]; "slim man" [Davey]
1856-1867; 1881-1900
Postmasters: B. W. Parker (1859-1866), S. Kaulia (1882-1884), A. Ku (1885-1889), Kahuakaiko (1890-1892), F. K. Pahia (1893-1895) and Bishop Pahia (1896-1900). Kaneohe received two sheets (@25 stamps per sheet) of 2¢ numerals in 1859. Kaneohe was the windward hub for overland carriers coming in from Honolulu and going west to Kahuku and east to Waimanalo. In 1898, Kaneohe reported no stamps sales.

Whitney's 1890 map sites Kaneohe on Mokapu Peninsula separating the south shore of Kaneohe Bay from Kailua Bay on windward Oahu. However, it is the name for a larger region on a broad plain at the windward foot of Nuuanu Pali. Numerous small sugar plantations and taro and rice farms were located in the vicinity of Kaneohe. The village was located at the south-eastern corner of Kaneohe Bay, according to Armstrong's 1881 Government Survey map.

Koolau
"windward"
Postmaster: Batlemann. Listing of a facility here is vague and if anything, it was a postal agency.

The name was used to refer to the combined districts Koolauloa and Koolaupoko comprising all of windward Oahu and also is given to the mountain range separating Honolulu and Central Oahu from windward Oahu, but I have found no village by this name. Probably this reference is to a postal agency somewhere on windward Oahu.

No postmark recorded.

Kualoa, Koolaupoko District
"long back"
1865
Postmaster: Jabez Turner (1865). Kualoa was a stop on the overland mail route. The region later was served by the Waiahole and Waikane post offices.

Located on the northern shore of Kaneohe Bay and in 1865 the site of Oahu Plantation operated by Judd & Wilder, but the land proved unsuitable for sugar. Charles Judd was operating a ranch there in 1875 and his ranch was still the most notable thing in the locality in 1890.

No postmark recorded.

Laie, Koolauloa District
"leaf of 'ie plant"
1878-1879; 1889-1900
Postmasters: H. H. Cluff (1880), Wm. King (1889-1890), W. E. Pack (1890-1892), M. Noall (1892-1893), M. M. Harmon (1894-1895), Geo. P. Garff (1896-1898), Edwin W. Fifield (1898) and S. E. Wooley (1899-1900). No post office is listed for Laie until 1889 so the early facility may have been a postal agency to handle mail as Laie was a stop on the overland mail route. Cluff, a Bishop of the Mormon Church, kept stamps for the colony at Laie before there was a post office. Wooley was manager of Laie Plantation and apparently nominated the postmasters at least starting with Garff. In 1898, Laie reported stamps sales of $60

Mormon Colony founded in 1865 and later site of Laie Plantation, run by the Mormon Colony, and a ranch owned by C. G. Hopkins.

Pearl City, Ewa District
1894-1895
Postmaster: John E. Kahoa (1894-1895); a post office is not recorded here until after the Territorial government commenced. Kahoa was postmaster at Ewa so it is uncertain what, if any, postal facility actually was located at Pearl City. Postal service was also available at the Peninsula post office when it opened in 1897 to serve a growing suburban residential development.

A depot for the Oahu Railroad was located at Pearl City. Track was opened to Pearl City on January 1, 1890, eleven miles from Honolulu. The area supported rice paddies and taro patches.

No postmark recorded but there is an auxiliary mark for the Oahu Railway depot at this place.

Peninsula, Ewa District
1897-1900
Postmaster: Frank Archer (1897-1900). In 1898, Peninsula reported no stamp sales.

A suburban residential development located on a peninsula in Pearl Lagoon and a depot for the Oahu Railroad on a branch line to the peninsula from Pearl City.

Punaluu, Koolauloa District
"coral dived for" [Pukui]; "scattered coral" [Davey]
1883-1900
Postmasters: Rev. J. W. Kaapu (1883-1885), J. Hale (1886-1890), Mrs. J. Hale (1890-1892), S. Hoomana (1892-1896) and Wm. Rathburn (1897-1900). Punaluu was a stop on the overland mail route. In 1898, Punaluu reported no stamp sales.

Village and landing on windward Oahu. The area was cultivated with rice and taro. By 1865, steamers were taking on cargo at Punaluu by means of lightering vessels to ferry cargo from the shore to the steamer standing close in. As with other rice growing regions on windward Oahu, Punaluu's population was dominated by Chinese and their numbers were reported large in 1890. The anchorage at Punaluu was dangerous and the famous schooner Nettie Merrill (by then re-named the Marion) was lost there in January, 1880.

Wahiawa, Ewa District
"place of noise" referring to loud surf [Pukui]; "foggy place" [Davey]
1899-1900
Postmasters: L. G. Kellogg (1899-1900). A listing in prior works of D. McBryde as postmaster here is wrong. He resided at Wahiawa on Kauai.

Site of the first commercial pineapple plantation in Hawaii (co-founded by the nephew of my great-great grandfather!) and located on a spur of the Oahu Railroad in central Oahu (constructed in 1906). Wahiawa was located near the summit of the Central Oahu plain.

Waiahole, Koolaupoko District
"mature ahole (fish) water" [Pukui]; "small fish water" [Davey]
1884-1889
Postmasters: G. C. Kemper (1887), Arthur Johnstone (1887-1889) and S. K. Papaai (1889). Papaai operated the post office from his house in Waikane and the post office at Waikane served the entire Waiahole area from that date. Both Waiahole and Waikane are used to identify the one post office. From April 1, 1887 to March 31, 1888, Honolulu received 415 letters from Waiahole.

An area on the northern end of Kaneohe Bay noted for its taro. Waiahole was the site of a rice mill in 1880 and was still cultivated as rice plantations in 1890.

Waialua, Waialua District
"two streams"
1856-1900
Postmasters: S. N. Emerson (1858-1876), Edward Hore (1877), S. N. Emerson (1878-1889). P. Mahaulu (1889-1894) and A. S. Mahaulu (1894-1900). Emerson also was postmaster for Ewa in 1860. Waialua was a stop on the overland mail route. In the 1890's, the post office was located at Prendergast's store but in December, 1898, it was moved to the Waialua railway station. Waialua received two sheets (@25 stamps per sheet) in 1859. In 1898, Waialua reported stamps sales of $56.50

Principal village and landing of the Waialua District and site of the Waialua Agricultural Co. Emerson's father founded a mission station here in 1832 and a Catholic mission station was established about 1852. In 1865, Waialua was the site of a race track for horse racing and attracted enthusiasts from all over Oahu for the twice weekly races. Waialua was described in 1875 as a formerly populous village shrunken to a girls' school, one or two plantations and cattle ranches. On June 11, 1898, the Oahu Railway track reached Waialua. On August 5, 1899, the Oahu Railway Co. opened a resort hotel, Haleiwa, near the Waialua depot.

Waialua Plantation, Waialua District
1899-1900
Postmasters: T. Halstead (1898), W. W. Goodale (1899-1900); the post office is first listed in 1899.

Headquarters and plantation town for Waialua Plantation, formed in 1898 on cane land planted as early as 1836 and operated by the Halstead Brothers earlier in the 1890's.

No postmark recorded.

Waianae, Waianae District
"mullet water"
1882-1900
Postmasters: J. L. Richardson (1882-1884), H. A. Widemann (1885), August Ahrens (1886-1896), D. Center (1898) and R. L. Gilliland (1899-1900). Richardson was a postal agent before 1882. Waianae was a stop on the overland mail route fixed in 1868. Richardson managed the sugar plantation. In 1898, Waianae reported stamps sales of $216.

In 1880, Waianae was ranch country and also was the headquarters, landing and mill for the Waianae Sugar Co., started in 1878 by Judge Hermann A. Widemann and Julius L. Richardson. Ahrens became manager of the plantation in 1886. In the mid-1880's, Waianae had become the largest settlement on Oahu outside Honolulu, with several stores, two churches, two schools and a club house with billiards, card tables and chess. Chinese and Hawaiians dominated the population. Waianae Sugar Co. was the first plantation on Oahu to use electricity. A stop on the Oahu Railroad, starting July 4, 1895, when the track reached Waianae, thirty two miles from Honolulu.

Waikane, Koolaupoko District
"Kane's water"
1881-1884; 1889-1900
Postmasters: S. E. K. Papaai (1881), J. W. P. Kamealoha (1882-1884) and S. E. K. Papaai (1889-1899). The facility in the early 1880's was probably a postal agency as no post office is listed until 1889, when the Waiahole office was closed and moved to Papaai' s residence in Waikane. References to Waiahole from mid-1889 forward are to the office located at Waikane but both names are used.

Village near the northern part of Kaneohe Bay and site of extensive rice plantations. The area was home to a large Chinese population. Small interisland steamers anchored offshore and rice was loaded by means of flat bottomed boats from wagons hauled by oxen into the shallow bay waters.

Waimanalo, Koolaupoko District
"potable water" [Pukui]; "brackish water" [Davey]
1899-1900
Postmaster: A. Irvine (1893-1900); a terminus of the short overland route from Kaneohe fixed in 1868. A formal post office is not listed here until 1899 but A. Irvine, who was associated with Waimanalo Plantation, was commissioned postmaster without pay in 1893 so mail sent by the steamer for Waimanalo could be left there instead of carried on to Kaneohe, handed to the overland carrier and brought back to Waimanalo.. A company steamer ran three times weekly between Waimanalo and Honolulu and carried mail for Waimanalo starting about 1893. In 1898, Waimanalo reported stamps sales of $79.60

Headquarters and landing for Mauna Rose, a stock ranch owned by Thomas Cummins and later headquarters for the Waimanalo Plantation starting around 1880. Waimanalo was popular with Kalakaua and Liliuokalani who often visited the country home of John Cummins. The region supported a large Hawaiian population engaged in taro cultivation, and Chinese, engaged in rice farming.

A postmark, type 281.013, was reported from this town by Davey, based on reliable authority, but has never been confirmed and I have deleted it from the listings. It was reported as being used in 1898 with a question mark and in the color purple.

Waipahu, Ewa District
"bursting water" [Pukui]; "gushing water" [Davey] as in a spring
1897-1900
Postmaster: H. D. Johnson (1897-1900). In 1898, Waipahu reported stamps sales of $289.30

Site of the Oahu Sugar Co. The plantation town for Oahu Sugar Co. was located above the northern edge of Pearl Harbor.

Back to Island of Oahu.

Copyright © 1999 - 2007 POST OFFICE IN PARADISE. All rights reserved.