Wahiawa's History (Post #11)

A Fruit, a Pool of History

In Hawaiian, Wahiawā means ‘a place of noise,’ but in the sphere of the residents’ knowledge about its rich history, ironically so.

Today, when one drives along Kamehameha Highway on the way from the North Shore, he or she is surrounded by pineapple fields for a couple of miles, then comes across unusual rock formations which are a common tourist destination. These rock formations comprise the Kukaniloko Birthing Stones, the birthplace of the Ali’i (Hawaiian royalty). Legend has it that birthing here was painless and that the gods would recognize children born on site. It was so sacred that commoners were killed if they stepped foot on it. Over the years, the birthing stones were phased out as Kamehameha I expanded Wahiawā’s status as a sugar plantation to a pineapple plantation, per Don Francisco de Paula y Marin’s advice. In the mid-1800’s, plantations like Wahiawā’s quickly sprung up around the island, creating more jobs. These jobs were mostly taken up by an influx of workers primarily from China, Japan, and the Philippines, a reason why Hawai’i is known as a ‘melting pot’ today. However, WWII shut down these plantations and Wahiawā became industrialized after the war.

Part of the industrialization movement was the building of a pool. WWII soldiers returned from the war and expressed interest in building a pool because if people living in coastal areas could always get swimming access, why can’t the people in Wahiawā have that as well? Backed by the community, WWII soldiers advocated for pool construction and got approval from the City and County of Honolulu to legally build it. The pool was fully funded by Wahiawā residents and in July 1949, Wahiawa War Memorial Swimming Pool became the first of its kind on the island. Today, all that remains to document this history is a tarnished sign outside the entrance of the pool. 21 WWII veterans come from Wahiawā, but only a few realize that.

Wahiawā is a fruit and a pool of history, but also so much more. Hopefully, more people can be aware of its history so Wahiawā can live up to its namesake (at least, in terms of history).