By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
A smoke stack is all that is left of a
Waialua sugar mill built in 1883.
Sure don't look much like Aiea anymore. The tall sugar smokestack, the central fulcrum around which the community grew, was pulled down last week, awkwardly and sadly. Hopefully, the residents of Waipahu will have more swing with both government and developers. Stacked with memories,
how sweet it isIn the meantime, there's a sugar stack still standing all by its lonesome off a dirt road in deepest, darkest Waialua. Sure, there's an electrical booster station humming nearby, and some kind of water-pumping station right near its base, growling mysteriously, plus the usual skanky litter of beer bottles and condom wrappers you find in quiet country pullovers.
Closer inspection reveals the cryptic date "1883" inscribed on the bottom. Ah! It's old.
Haleiwa resident and historian Meryl Anderson says the stack dates back to the first sugar mill in Waialua, built by the Halstead family. "It was certainly built in 1883, but the mill was destroyed in a fire about 1890, so it wasn't in operation that long," said Anderson.
Sentimental sugar-cane workers kept the stack in good condition, however, clearing away growth and burning fires in it every few years to chase out roosting evil spirits, said Anderson.
But that's not why this symbol of the past is still with us. The Waialua stack still stands because, essentially, it's in the middle of nowhere, and there's no percentage in knocking it down. Nostalgic Aiea residents can find it off Kaukonahua Road, near Kemoo Camp.
Burl Burlingame, Star-Bulletin.
