The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-09-23
STREETS OF HONOLULU
IN THE EARLY FORTIES
By GoRnAM D. GILMAN in Thrurn. Annual
Continued from yesterday.)

haps, the first Hawaiian theatre There
are those who well remember it and
the scenes enacted therein. The es-
adjustment of this theatre was large
Iy due TO the efforts of a set of young
amateurs, among whom was Charley
! Vincent, a we'll known carpenter, and
I Mr.. ]. II. Brown, a man about town,
and later Captain of the Honolulu
Guards and Police Chief One evening
| in particular was noted for the per-
formance of the opera of Martha" OF
which Ka1nehameha " was the stage
manager, while Queen Emma and Mrs.
Befnice P. Bishop and other noted Ia
dies of society formed It's chorus. The
programs We're printed upon white sat
/ in. There may possibly be some of
! these souvenirs still to be found in Ho-
nolulu. Mauka of the theatre was the
/ little cottage occupied by Mr.. Charles
r. Bishop and his young bride Bernice
Pauahi Bishop. Mauka of this was
! the quite large residence occupied by
. William French.
The next parallel street was Rich
ards street. Makai of King street was
erected by Mr. B Shillaber, an Amer
lean engaged in the China trade, 1.-The
Bungalow, something after the style
of the East India houses, where there
was a general dispensation of bachei-
or hospitality. Mauka on the palace
side of the street was a series of low
one-story buildings occupied at differ
emit times by the Princess Victoria and
her brother, Prince Lot, Kamehameha
V. Next mauka were the old premises
of the Sumner family of which your
courts have heard not little in the
last few months. Still mauka crossing
a narrow lane, afterwards designated
as Palace Walk, came a large open
ground in which was the residence of
HaaIelea. And mauka of this, coming
UP to Beretania street, was the resi-
dence of Kaeo. and Lahilahi, the par
ents of the late Prince Albert recently
deceased. The Central Union church
now covers the ground formerly oc-
cupied by these houses. Adjoining, on
Beretania street was the residence of
the French consul, Jules Dudoit, in
whose family were also Mrs. and Miss
Corney his wife's mother and sister;
premises subsequently occupied for
many years by Jas. Smith of land Of
flee memory From this place the con-
sui and his family moved in 1S45, to
their newly completed mansion on the
opposite side of the same street, near
Fort known of late years as the Dick
son premises. Mons. Dudoit had the
reputation of being, among other
things, a caricaturist, and often high
ly amused the merchants of the water
front with his timely hits.
The next and last street running
parallel was that known as Punch
bowl street. There was on the entire
length of this street, from the makai
side to the slopes of Punchbowl, but
one residence, the two-story house,
built of coral, of Mr. Henry Dimond,
mauka of King street. Beyond the
street was the old Kawaiahao church
and burying ground. a more forsaken
desolate-looking place than the latter
can scarcely be- imagined. One to see
it in its present attractiveness of
fences. trees and shrubbedy, can hardly
believe its former desolation, when
without enclosure, horses and cattle
had free access TO the whole space.
The transformation was mainly owing
to the labors of Mrs. Armstrong, wife
of the missionary, who was pastor at
one time of the church.
The houses of THE Mission I had
better leave to be described by some of
the children whose homes were there.
Having now taken UP the description
of the streets running from the ma
kai side Of the town mauka, and also
having mentioned Queen and Mer-
chant streets running at right angles
to the others, we will now turn to the
three remaining parallel streets, name
i ly King, Hotel, and Beretania. Begin
ming at the Nuuanu stream end of
King street there were few scatter
ing native houses near the river side.
The first house that we notice was
store kept by Isaac Montgomery, a
true son of the Emerald Isle. He
had been fortunate in business
and had fair financial standing. 1t
was generally believed that the temp
tations of ready money. quick sale
even at small profit. induced him to
supply the enterprising Australians.
with goods desirable to keep up their
trade. On the same side of the street
was q square medium-sized. plastered
adobe house owned by Capt. John
Meek This was used as a lodge room
for the new Masonic lodge, the first
organized in Honolulu, if not in the
Pacific, under the name of lie Pro-
gress de fOceanie." This antedated
somewhat the formation of the Odd
Fellows Lodge. and many of the busi-
ness and professional men of the town
Were initiated as members. I hold a
certificate in the handwriting of Lii
holiho, King Kamehameha w., as
Worshipful Master of the Lodge.
The next premises on that side of the
street. as I remember, was occupied by
natives and Joined the premises of the
Blonde. already mentioned. On the
mauka side of the street We're the
large grounds of Capt. John Meek, ex-
tending almost the entire length of the
block TO Nuuanu street. Capt Meek
was one of the noted characters of the
place; a retired ship master who had
settled in the islands years before and
become possessed of large tracts OF
land and herds OF cattle. He shared
with stephen Reynolds the duties of
pilot
Crossing Nuuanu street on the ma