The Old Gallows at Fort Street Mall
The first prison on Oahu was at Fort Kekuanohu... also known as Fort Honolulu or “The Old Fort.” In 1840, Kamehameha III initiated and implemented Hawaii’s first constitution. With these newly adopted set of laws, penal laws outlined classes of offenses and punishments with death being the penalty for murder.
The first hangings in Hawaii was Kamanawa, a high ranking ali‘i and the grandfather of King Kalakaua and Queen Lili‘uokalani, along with his accomplice Lonopuakau. The gallows were erected above the gate of the Old Fort so that they could be easily seen for some distance. The hangings occurred at the Old Fort up until 1857, when prisoners were finally moved to the new Oahu Prison in Iwilei also known as “The Reef.”
While the Old Fort no longer stands, people are said to have an uneasy feeling when standing where the old gate used to be -- at Walker Park at the foot of Fort Street, just along the Queen Street cross walk.
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