Pā'ula'ula State Historical Park (Russian Fort Elizabeth) is a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
and is administered as the Pā'ula'ula State Historical Park just southeast of present-day
Waimea on the island of
Kauai
Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
.
It is located at the site of the former Fort Elizavety (russian: Форт Елизаветы), the last remaining
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
fort on the
Hawaiian islands
The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...
, built in the early 19th century by the
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс ...
as the result of an alliance with High Chief
Kaumualii.
The
star fort
A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...
was employed by the
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...
in the 19th century under the name Fort Hipo ( haw, Paulaula o Hipo).
History
In 1815, German physician
Georg Anton Schäffer
Georg Anton Schäffer (rarely russified as ''Yegor Nikolayevich'' or ''Egor Antonovich'' ''Sheffer''; ''von Schaeffer'' in Portuguese sources; 27 January 1779 – 1836) was a German physician in the employ of the Russian-American Company who ...
, an agent of the
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс ...
, arrived in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
to retrieve goods seized by
Kaumualii, chief of
Kauai
Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
island.
[Khlebnikov, K.T., 1973, Baranov, Chief Manager of the Russian Colonies in America, Kingston: The Limestone Press, ] According to the company instructions, Schäffer had to begin by establishing friendly relations with king
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; – May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. T ...
who had created a
kingdom
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
incorporating all the islands of Hawaii and faced opposition from rebellious Kaumuali'i. 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 was followed by two company ships, the ''Otkrytie'' and the ''
Il’mena''. He then sailed to Kauai on his own. To his surprise, Kaumualii eagerly signed a "treaty" granting Russian
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg.
The son of ...
a
protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...
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 (russian: Елизаветинская крепость, ''Elizavetinskaya Krepost’'') in honor of the Empress of Russia at the time,
Louise of Baden
Princess Louise of Baden (13/24 January 1779 – 4/16 May 1826) was, later known as Elizabeth Alexeievna ( rus, Елизавета Алексеевна), the Empress of Russia during her marriage with Emperor Alexander I.
Princess of Baden
Eliz ...
. Two others Fortress Alexander (, ''Krepost’ Aleksandra'') and Fort Barclay-de-Tolly (, ''Fort Barklaya-de-Tolli'') were named for the reigning emperor
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
and his marshal
Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (german: Fürst Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly; baptised – ) was an Imperial Russian soldier of Baltic German and Scottish origin, who was commander-in-chief and Minister of War of the Russian Empire ...
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 across, with walls high. It housed a small
Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...
chapel, Hawaii's first
Orthodox Christian
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...
church. Fort Alexander built on
Hanalei Bay
Hanalei Bay is the largest bay on the north shore of Kauaʻi island in Hawaii. The town of Hanalei is at the midpoint of the bay.
Geography
Hanalei Bay consists of nearly of beach, surrounded by mountains. In the summer, the bay offers excel ...
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
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
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
The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...
tasked Kauai pioneer
Valdemar Knudsen
Valdemar Emil Knudsen (August 5, 1819 – January 5, 1898) was a sugarcane plantation pioneer on west Kauai, Hawaii.
Background
Valdemar Emil Knudsen was born in Kristiansand, in Vest-Agder county, Norway. He was college-trained in botany and ...
with the removal of
armament
A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...
s from the fort. Similar work was being done in that era across the kingdom with other forts being dismantled at
Kailua-Kona
Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it share ...
,
Lāhainā and along the waterfront at the old port of
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
. 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
Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking lock (firearm), ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism its ...
muskets
A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...
, 16
sword
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
s, 12 18-pound
cannon
A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
, 26 4- and 6-pound
cannon
A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
, 6 heavy guns and 24 little guns. During the decommissioning of the fort in 1864, while Knudsen was loading armaments and
munitions
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...
for sale as scrap metal onto a
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
in Waimea Bay, one or two cannons fell into the murky waters of Waimea Bay.
Access
The fort is located at coordinates , on the southeastern shore of the mouth of the Waimea River in
Waimea, Kauai County, Hawaii
Waimea (literally, "red water" in Hawaiian) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 2,057 at the 2020 census. The first Europeans to reach Hawaii landed in Waimea in 1778 (giving rise to Kau ...
. A small parking lot is south of the
Hawaii Route 50
Route 50 is a road that stretches from Route 56 at the junction of Rice Street in Lihue to a point approximately 1/5 mile north of the northernmost entrance of the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the western shore of Kauai. It is the longest ...
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.
Significance
This large stone construction is the most magnificent reminder of the attempts by the
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
for gaining an influential position in the Hawaiian Islands during the early
19th century
The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium.
The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolis ...
.
Alexander Baranov, governor of the
Russian American Company
The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс ...
at
Sitka
russian: Ситка
, native_name_lang = tli
, settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough
, image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg
, image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984
, image_size ...
, wished to open trade with the
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...
to obtain food for the Alaska settlements and sent several vessels for this purpose. One of these ships was wrecked at
Waimea, Kauai, in 1815; and the next year Baranov sent
Dr. Georg Anton Scheffer for recovering the cargo and, likely, to open a permanent Russian trading post or to gain SL political foothold. Scheffer was successful in quickly gaining influence over
King Kaumualii, of Kauai, and in the summer of 1816 persuaded the latter to sign an agreement giving the Russians special trading and economic privileges on Kauai and
Oahu
Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...
. In a failed attempt to build a fort at
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
, Scheffer went back to Kauai to consolidate his position with Kaumualii. His aim, evidently, was to convince the king to declare his independence of
Kamehameha and enter under Russian protection. He primarily erected an earthwork at
Hanalei; and, sometime between April and October, 1817, he built a strong stone fort at Waimea, over which the Russian flag was flown.
The Waimea establishment was a huge one. In addition, the fort was equipped with guns and quarters for troops, Scheffer owned a factory or trading house, with gardens and houses for a staff of about 30 families. Apparently, the fort was not fully completed by the Fall of 1817. By that time Scheffer's peremptory conduct had alienated the
Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaii ...
. Acting on orders from Kamehameha, the Russians were ousted by Kaumualii.
After the departure of Scheffer from the islands, Hawaiian troops occupied the fort evidently in October 1817. In 1820, a 21-gun salute was fired when the brig Thaddeus came up with the son of
Kaumualii, who had been attending school in the United States. The first mission settlement of the
Protestants
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
on
Kauai
Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
took place on the river bank close to the fort. Around 1853, the fort was abandoned because the Hawaiian garrison was withdrawn.
Physical structure
Varying in cross measurement from 300 to 450 feet, the structure is in the form of ‘an irregular
octagon’. The outer walls are made of piled stone; the walls are from 25 to 45 feet thick and about 20 feet high. And those are in good condition until date. The foundations of the magazine,
barracks and other buildings are visible inside the walls. The area within and bordering the fort has been extensively cleared for park development as exhibited in the map accompanying this form. The region north and east between the fort and the park boundary have been demolished for the development of the park, an action which probably caused serious damage to any historical ruins and archaeological resources.
See also
*
Russian colonization of the Americas
The Russian colonization of North America covers the period from 1732 to 1867, when the Russian Empire laid claim to northern Pacific Coast territories in the Americas. Russian colonial possessions in the Americas are collectively known as Russi ...
*
Orthodox Church in Hawaii
Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Hawaii began with early Russian missions of the 19th century and continues with multiple Eastern Orthodox churches in the Hawaiian islands.
History
The first Christian service of any type in Hawaii was a lay ...
*
Fort Alexander
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Holy Theotokos of Iveron Russian Orthodox Church of Hawaii*
*
{{Authority control
1817 establishments in Oceania
1864 disestablishments in Oceania
Archaeological sites in Hawaii
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
Russian-American Company
State parks of Hawaii
National Historic Landmarks in Hawaii
Hawaiian Kingdom
History of Kauai
Former Russian colonies
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
Protected areas of Kauai
European colonisation in Oceania
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
1817 establishments in Hawaii
National Register of Historic Places in Kauai County, Hawaii
Star forts