Haunted Downtown Honolulu
Ghosts on Old Union Street
On Union Street in Downtown Honolulu, there once stood a two-story structure belonging to the former British seafarer, Captain Samuel James Dowsett. The walls of first story were fashioned from coral slabs, the second story was wood framed, and it housed Captain Dowsett, his wife, and their four small children.
After his resignation from the British service, Captain Dowsett sailed from Sydney, arriving in Honolulu in July 1828 with his wife and their young daughter. Four years later, in 1832, he built a home for his family located on Union Street.
Despite his retirement, the captain still had the sea in his blood. On June 1, 1834, the ship Victoria, commanded by Capt. Dowsett, set sail from Honolulu on a pearl fishing expedition to the Pescadores Islands off of what is now Taiwan. A year passed and the mariner had not returned to Honolulu and his wife and four small children. In 1835, the government sent the brig “Waverly” in search of the Victoria, but the brig was also fated never to return. It was seized by inhabitants of a small island in the Western Pacific. The captain and crew were killed and the vessel was burned. No trace was ever found of Captain Dowsett.
The captain’s wife, Mary Ann Bishop Dowsett, remained in the home until 1850. After the Dowsetts vacated the home, it was let out and then turned into a hotel, remaiing as such for many years. During those early days, when the whaling industry was at its height in the Pacific, the hotel was the rendezvous for many ships captains and “mysterious characters.”
After a while, the old house had the reputation of being haunted by an old bewhiskered man, whose spirit made frequesnt visits to the old house, especially to a room on the second floor, apparently in search of something. It was even said that a group of Chinese tenants moved out because they were annoyed by the ghost of a great bearded man who climbed the stairs to the tune of a clanking cutlass scabbard.
The old house was torn down in 1926 to make way for a modern service station. Union Street is now Union Mall, just off Bishop Street.
Toddler Sees Ghost of Father
Back in 1872, a tragic event occurred that deeply affected a small, hapa-Hawaiian family, but what happened shortly afterward left a lasting impression on the family and their friends. Mr. “K” was a haole man who married a Hawaiian woman, and together, they had children, the youngest of whom was still a toddler.
Mr. K was an intelligent and hardworking man, and provided well for his family. Unfortunately, while working on a stone-blasting project, he was severely injured by a premature explosion and passed away just a few hours later. After his passing, Mrs. S., the wife of a close neighbor, stayed with the widow and her children for a while, offering comfort and support during their time of mourning.
As time passed, life slowly returned to some semblance of normalcy for the family.
One afternoon, as the family sat together sharing a meal, they were suddenly startled by a familiar sound. It was the distinct sound of footsteps on the veranda above them, the very same footsteps they had heard so many times before.
It was Mr. K's nightly habit to pace the short length of the veranda while waiting for dinner to be served, his footsteps muffled and unmistakable.
The footsteps continued, moving from the veranda to the room above, and then down the staircase leading to where the family was gathered. With a mix of fear and anticipation, they watched as the figure of Mr. K appeared in the doorway at the foot of the stairs. He leaned against the doorframe, just as he had done so many times before, and smiled at the astonished group. They could clearly see that he was wearing the same clothes he had always worn. In that moment, the youngest child, a toddler who had just learned to call out to its father, cried out, “Papa! Papa!”
The figure smiled once more, walked slowly around the group, and then, accompanied by the baby's cries, vanished through the open door. What did the child see? Was it a figment of imagination, or was it truly the presence of Mr. K? Naysayers are quick to scoff at the thought of ghosts, but how can one explain the infant’s recognition of a father it could no longer see, or the vivid vision shared by the entire family?
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