Skipping A Visit To This Historic Prison In Hawaii Should Be A Criminal Offense
By Megan Shute|Published March 03, 2019
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
From the first Europeans visiting the islands in 1778 and the establishment of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1795 to Hawaii’s admittance to the United States of America in 1959, the Hawaiian Islands are steeped in history — and sites full of history. Though the Hawaiian Islands are home to several fascinating historic sites, including this historic prison nestled in the heart of one of our favorite Hawaiian towns. Let’s take a step back in time, shall we?
The year is 1851. It was the peak of the whaling era, and as you can imagine, the small village of Lahaina was rampant with rowdy sailors looking for fun and relaxation along with villagers who were willing to play and trade with them.
Town officials and missionaries believed they needed to control the actions of the whalers, and in 1851, an act authorizing a new jail to be built in Lahaina was passed by the legislature and approved by the King. The new prison would replace the small jail located under the Old Fort on the waterfront, and in 1852, construction on Hale Pa’ahao began.
The prison featured a two-story wooden gatehouse standing between the walls, which also served as the warden’s quarters. In the yard were two wooden jail cell buildings — one for men and one for women — inside of which you could find a row of cells complete with wall shackles and restraints for difficult prisoners.
Used primarily to detain sailors for short periods of time when they got too drunk, if they rode recklessly on horseback through town, or if they jumped ship, the prison’s history is quite unique. At night, the prisoners were shackled in their cells, but by day — at least for the first few years — they were allowed to mingle on the green, play cards, and have food brought into them.
Typically within 24 hours, a captain would come to pay the bounty and claim his crew. This only lasted for a few years: by the end of 1857, new, much stricter prison rules and regulations were set in place, which were regularly enforced by the jailer and warden.
In addition to drunkenness, the most common crimes that would land you in jail here were adultery, fornication, assault and battery, and (our personal favorite) furious riding. Other unique crimes such as "giving birth to bastard children" and "lewd conversations" would also land you in a jail cell back in the mid-to-late 1800s.
More than 100 years after it was constructed, the Lahaina Restoration Foundation made an effort to restore and preserve the old prison, which was eventually transformed from a collapsing ruin to a fascinating outdoor museum and botanical garden that is free and open to the public. If you enjoy history or are simply looking to experience all Lahaina has to offer without opening your wallet, a visit to Hale Pa'ahao — which translates to "stuck-in-irons house" — is a must.
Hale Pa’ahao Prison is located at 187 Prison St., Lahaina, HI 96761, and is open for visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. For more information, you can head on over to the Lahaina Restoration Foundation’s website.
Just 47 miles away from this historic prison is another unique jail you might want to add to your Maui bucket list. Nestled on the Ulupalakua Ranch is an old jail cell where can sip on wines made on-site — sounds heavenly, no?
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