# Talk:Lahaina Banyan Court Park

Comments by User:Viriditas

Upon reviewing older primary and secondary sources, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Old Lahaina Fort was not the first.  There appears to have been an even older fort, some kind of artillery battery, guarding Lahaina harbor as early as 1825.  Mykkänen even calls it the "Lahaina Fort". (Mykkänen 2003:93)  Only two sources hint at this; the rest ignore it.  However, this plaque confirms it.  Two questions: was the original fort built in 1816-1817; and why did Hoapili rebuild it in 1830-1831?  Was it merely to strengthen the fortification or did something happen to it?  Further information is in  Maui Historical Society 1971.
Reported size of fort walls varies by source, anywhere from 12-20 feet.
Completion date of fort varies from 1831 to 1832, however it appears to have been built and completed sometimes between February and either March or April of 1832.  It isn't at all clear why some sources list 1831.
Needs to mention that the coral blocks for the fort were quarried from the reef off the coast of Launiupoko
After the fort was demolished, the coral blocks were not just used for the new prison but also for two government houses (including Hale Hoapili)
There's a local rumor that the banyan tree was once larger than it is now, which makes sense considering its current size and poor health due to tourism and development in the area. More research needed.
Update: personally, I don't think this is a rumor.  Either the tree has been cut back recently or it is getting smaller due to poor health.  Unfortunately, there are tourists who visit the tree every day and try to cut a piece of it off to take home.  What they don't understand is that if all the tourists did this in /one/ day, the tree would disappear.
Background section neglects to properly juxtapose the missionaries with the whalers in order of arrival; also fails to mention previous demise of Sandalwood or that the sugarcane industry supplanted the whaling industry which failed after the rise of petroleum exploration on the mainland (cf. 1859, Titusville, Pennsylvania).
Local zoomed map of sites under construction for geography section.  This map will show that the Lahaina Banyan Court Park is on the site of the old Lahaina fort, which was replaced by the courthouse.  Might work better as an inset on the current map.
When seen with contemporary eyes, the whalers were, for the most part, contemptible louts, who wouldn't hesitate for a moment to harpoon a baby Humpback whale days after it was born in order to lure the mother in and kill her too. (Nickerson 1980, pp. 84-87)   They were also fond of what is today referred to as human trafficking in young women and had no use for ethics or morals of any kind.  On a personal note, I find it sad that Hawaii celebrates the heritage of these ruffians (and that Herman Melville gave them a place in history that they don't deserve), but such is the benefit of hindsight.
The old cannon on the Lahaina wharf is on the original site of the old fort and is meant to be a reconstruction like the 1964 portion. (see Masudo & Holl 1960 as cited in Maui Historical Society 1971)
Need to expand upon the self-guided walking tour and the Lahaina Historic District
Courthouse dates need work.  Did it stop functioning in 1898?  What year did the courthouse move to Wailuku?
"Central Maui residents were proud of their courthouse when it was finished in 1908. It was a symbol of Wailuku's emergence as the county seat, a distinction it wrested from Lahaina in 1903." (Kubota, Oct. 16, 1993)

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Huge fire today (ongoing) in Lahaina.  There's a slight possibility that the tree burned down.  Waiting for updates, but won't know for sure until tomorrow.  There's a video online right now showing a fire completely engulfing this area, with people jumping into the ocean to survive and the Coast Guard picking them up.[1] Viriditas (talk) 09:20, 9 August 2023 (UTC)

News saying the area to the north is completely destroyed, but no information yet on the tree. Viriditas (talk) 09:26, 9 August 2023 (UTC)
Photos just posted.  Visual confirmation. Property destroyed. Tree, what is left of it, still standing, but appears to be unsalvageable. Viriditas (talk) 20:06, 9 August 2023 (UTC)
Opinions differ, but people are optimistic that the tree can be saved.  No arborists will be able to examine the tree for several days since the area is a disaster zone with the Coast Guard setting up a perimeter due to boats that are still on fire at this time loaded with fuel, posing further hazard of a potential explosion near the park. Viriditas (talk) 22:47, 9 August 2023 (UTC)
Military and police perimeter in place, so it may be some time before we get expert opinions.  However, recent media sources are reporting that the tree looks like it survived, although the bark is badly burned.  It would be great if they would allow a credentialed arborist in to do what needs to be done. This tree is a symbol of the entire Lahaina community and the faster it gets the care it needs the better off the community will be in bouncing back from this disaster. Viriditas (talk) 08:37, 11 August 2023 (UTC)
Why did you revert my addition of an image of the park showing the damage to it? Cerebral726 (talk) 13:26, 11 August 2023 (UTC)
I uploaded that image for use in the wildfire article.  This article is a stable, GA historical article about the park.  There are now some (very few at this point) sources coming in about the damage to the park, in which case we will need a new section about the impact of the wildfires and good images to use in that section.  You did a "drive by" and plopped the image into the section about the tree.  If you would like to help create a new section about the impact of the wildfires on the park, then feel free to do so, but please do so carefully. Viriditas (talk) 01:25, 12 August 2023 (UTC)