Russian Fort Elizabeth Russian Fort Elizabeth is a National Historic Landmark and is administered as the Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park just southwest of present day Waimea on the island of Kauai in Hawaii . It is located at the site of the former Fort Elizabety ( ) , the last remaining Russian fort on the Hawaiian islands , built in the early 19th century by the Russian - American Company as the result of an alliance with High Chief Kaumualii . It was employed by the Kingdom of Hawaii in the 19th century under the name Fort Hipo ( ) . History . In 1815 , German physician Georg Anton Schäffer , an agent of the Russian - American Company , arrived in Hawaii to retrieve goods seized by Kaumualii , chief of Kauai island . According to the Company instructions , Schäffer had to begin by establishing friendly relations with king Kamehameha I who had created a kingdom incorporating all the islands of Hawaii and faced opposition from rebellious Kaumualii . Then , with or without Kamehameha ' s support , Schäffer had to recover the cost of lost merchandise from Kaumualii . Schäffer ' s medical expertise gained Kamehameha ' s respect but he denied the Russians any assistance against Kaumualii . Schäffer received reinforcement of two company ships and sailed to Kauai on his own . To his surprise , Kaumualii eagerly signed a " treaty " granting Russian Tsar Alexander I of Russia a protectorate over Kauai . Kaumualii convinced Schäffer that the Russians could just as easily capture the whole archipelago . Schäffer promised that Tsar Alexander would help him to break free of Kamehameha ' s rule . Officially , Kaumualii had pledged allegiance to Kamehameha in 1810 . Kaumualii probably never intended to give up power over the island ; he thought he might reclaim his own kingdom with the help of Russia . Kaumualii allowed Schäffer to build a fort near Waimea , named Fort or Fortress Elizabeth ( , " Elizavetinskaya Krepost ’ " ) in honor of the Empress of Russia at the time , Louise of Baden . Two others Fortress Alexander ( , " Krepost ’ Aleksandra " ) and Fort Barclay - de - Tolly ( , " Fort Barklaya - de - Tolli " ) were named for the reigning emperor Alexander and his marshal Barclay - de - Tolly and constructed near Hanalei on Kauai . Fort Elizabeth was constructed in 1817 on the east bank of the Waimea River overlooking Waimea Bay . This fort was built in the shape of an irregular octagon , about to across , with walls high . It housed a small Russian Orthodox chapel , Hawaii ' s first Orthodox Christian church . Fort Alexander built on Hanalei Bay also housed a small Orthodox chapel . When it was discovered that Schäffer did not have the backing of the Tsar , he was forced to leave Kauai in the fall of 1817 . Captain Alexander Adams replaced the Russian flag with the new Kingdom of Hawaii flag some time before October 1817 . Russian Fort Elizabeth eventually came under the control of Kamehameha supporters . In 1820 , the guns fired in salute as Kaumualii ' s son , Prince George " Prince " Kaumualii ( also known as Humehume ) arrived on the ship " Thaddeus " , after guiding American missionaries back to his home . Humehume tried to stage a rebellion in 1824 by attacking the fort . It was used as a base to capture him and keep the kingdom unified . It was abandoned in 1853 . Dismantling . The Kingdom of Hawaii tasked Kauai pioneer Valdemar Knudsen with the removal of armament s from the fort . Similar work was being done in that era across the kingdom with other forts being dismantled at Kailua - Kona , Lāhainā and along the waterfront at the old port of Honolulu . In a letter sent to Honolulu , Knudsen listed an inventory of the guns at the fort following a survey made in 1862 . They included 60 flintlock muskets , 16 sword s , 12 18 - pound cannon , 26 4 - and 6 - pound cannon , 6 heavy guns and 24 little guns . During the decommissioning of the fort in 1864 , while Knudsen was loading armaments and munitions for sale as scrap metal onto a schooner in Waimea Bay , one or two cannons fell into the murky waters of Waimea Bay . Research . Details of the dismantling of the fort appear in Peter Mills ' book " Hawaii ' s Russian Adventure - A New Look at Old History " , published in 2002 . Mills is an Associate Professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and chair of its Anthropology Department , and has led archaeological field surveys of the Russian Fort area . Access . The fort is located at coordinates , on the southeastern shore of the mouth of the Waimea River in Waimea , Kauai County , Hawaii . A small parking lot is south of the Hawaii Route 50 bridge , known as Kaumualii Highway in honor of the last king . Facilities at the park include an interpretive walking path , and restrooms . A brochure with details of the site is available for a self - guided interpretive tour . Visitors to this site can enjoy exploring the remains of the fort , viewing scenery , photography and historical interpretation .