Looking for art? Honolulu has several galleries and museums. There are many places to go. But you probably haven’t thought of the Oahu Cemetery and Crematory in Nuuanu. You might be surprised to find that it has the finest and most abundant collection of 19th-century graveyard art in Hawaii.
At Oahu Cemetery you’ll find marble statuary, granite obelisks, sarcophagi, ornate Celtic crosses and a multitude of decorative motifs and cryptic symbols, which make this site a fascinating outdoor museum.
Hawaii cemetery expert Nanette Napoleon says Oahu Cemetery was built in 1844 and is a classic example of the Victorian Rural Cemetery.
The movement, which began in England during Queen Victoria’s reign, saw a graveyard as not just a functional repository for the dead. It became "a park-like setting with well-defined plots, landscaped grounds and a profusion of ornate markers to make them more appealing, and thus more salable to the living."
"During the period from 1778-1844," Napoleon continues, "thousands of explorers, traders, whalers, missionaries and adventurers came to the Sandwich Islands in search of financial opportunities, religious fulfillment, or simply to absorb the romanticism of the South Seas."
Some of them died here, and a proper public graveyard for Honolulu’s growing foreign population was needed.
Since the city limits at the time extended to about Beretania Street, Nuuanu Valley was considered a prime location because it was suitably rural in nature but not too far as to make visitation by horse and buggy difficult.
Nuuanu above Judd Street was terraced for taro around 1800. As I reported in an earlier column, Nuuanu farms provided most of the island’s produce 200 years ago.
Supporters of the Nuuanu site felt the frequent rain would irrigate the property and make digging graves easier.
"While most larger graveyards in Hawaii have their share of famous or infamous residents, and a few of their own tall tales to tell, Oahu Cemetery is by far the most prolific and profound," Napoleon says.
"It is both a place of sacred reverence and idyllic wonderment, and should be visited by anyone interested in the culture and history of Hawaii."
Oahu Cemetery is unique among cemeteries in the islands. Foremost, it is the final resting place for hundreds of well-known families, captains of industry, musicians, scholars, artists, military heroes, educators and government officials. It is the resting place for six former governors and five former mayors.
Some of the people who are buried at Oahu Cemetery:
» Alexander Young, founder of the Alexander Young hotel
» Ben Franklin Dillingham, founder of the Oahu Rail & Land Co., as well as his son Walter and family repose there, as does Joseph Campbell, the world-renowned mythologist and author.
» George Straub, founder of Straub Clinic, is buried there, as is Stan Kennedy, the founder of Hawaiian Airlines, and James and William McInerny, founders of the McInerny stores.
» Alexander Joy Cartwright, the father of modern baseball, is buried there, and visitors frequently leave baseballs in front of his grave.
» Sterling Mossman, the "Hula Cop," who entertained at the Queen’s Surf Waikiki nightclub, is there, as is Dr. John Mott-Smith, Hawaii’s first dentist. Musicians include Johnny Noble, noted orchestra leader and songwriter, and Robert Alex Anderson, composer of "Lovely Hula Hands."
In her book, "Oahu Cemetery: Burial Ground and Historic Site," Napoleon says that visitors will find a wonderful selection of tombstone art and symbols, winged cherubs, weeping willows, angels in mourning, crosses, portraits, anchors and many one-of-a-kind pieces.
In all, more than 30,000 permanently reside at Oahu Cemetery. It is not "sold out" as some believe. Space is still available.
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Bob Sigall, author of “The Companies We Keep 1, 2, & 3,” looks through his collection of photos to tell stories about Hawaii people, places and companies each Friday. Email him at Sigall@Yahoo.com.
