Discuss, Share and Collect MOLOKAI Stamps or Postal History

[Catweazle]

I've heard many decent common people use the word ‘Hawaii’ to refer to the place labelled on this map below:

Where on Earth are the Hawaiian Islands?

But perhaps what some folks perhaps haven’t realised is that ‘Hawaii’ is just one of the many Hawaiian islands. There are 137 to be exact, but of course not all of these are inhabited. The main islands – favoured holiday destinations – are Oahu (where you’ll find Honolulu), Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai (in the middle there) and the big island of Hawaii.

Hawaiian Islands

Our story begins here with Molokai, one of the lesser known and more quieter islands. You won’t find a McDonald’s here! It is a truer, more traditional and more beautiful Hawaiian island, without the tourism nor the surfers nor the cruisers nor the fast-food outlets and resorts. If you haven’t yet been then take some time out one day (pending the pandemic!) and let the place work its magic on your soul. Amen.

The vibe is relaxed and laid back. It is good for your soul. It is quite a contrast to the faster paced, louder, and busier lifestyle you’ll find in Honolulu. I once got lost twice just at the HNL airport departure zone when trying to drop the Mustang off at the car hire depo before an early morning flight. Note to self – Alamo is not anywhere near the airport. Meanwhile, on Molokai, one need only walk across 20 metres across the single carpark to be greeted by two layabouts on plastic chairs waiting to charm you with their customer service. I must have been the only one to hire a car that weekend, back in good old 2018.

Discount Car Hire in Maui

Actually it started in Maui. After a swim, a lazy breakfast and another morning cruise in a convertible Ford Mustang GT FN, I meandered past the international terminal to an old shack out the back. This is the check-in desk for Mokulele Airlines. They weigh you, y’know. And if you’re over 160kgs then forget it and book HA’s Boeing 717 instead. They won’t fly you. Legit. There’s a notice on their website to this effect.

Mokulele Airlines Check-in Desk at OGG

Landed at MKK Airport

MKK Airport

Then they numbered us off like kids on a school bus. Those were our seat numbers. All seven of us. The other ten turned right and boarded an aircraft bound for the Big Island. I got the back-seat and was able to stretch out some, with my legs in the aisle. No galley. No bathroom. No facilities. Maybe a life-jacket. And a pilot.

But I love those small planes. There’s something about the surreal physicality of flying in a little tin-pot 208EX Grand Caravan that you won’t get with a 717. You feel every lost quarter on the tarmac and every air pocket in the, er, well in the air. But the experience is exhilarating. It’s exciting. It’s tremendous fun. You feel like a kid all over again. If you don’t drive ‘stick’ you won’t know what I’m talking about.

Mokulele Airlines flight 403 slowly sped down the runway, gradually gathering speed yet never quite getting enough lift. Should we jump out and give a wee push? Nay, finally we were airborne and ascended to a grand altitude of about 3,000 feet.

Now Molokai is famous not just for its old leper colony on the North western peninsula, but also for its stupendous cliffs that rise vertically up out of the sea. They are the tallest sea cliffs in the world – after New Zealand’s Mitre Peak – and they dwarfed our little single-engine aircraft as they extended high above us. 3,900 feet of almost vertical rock face, over which ravines and rivers and waterfalls cascaded down onto the wildest ocean below.

Wonders of America: Molokai Cliffs 2006 FDC

And yet these mighty sea cliffs are the same prison-like walls that cut off a community of lepers from the rest of the world for over one hundred years. That too is part of this story. That too is part of this thread…

I had known about this place for years, and then in 2018 had the honour of visiting this island paradise on the way home from Alaska (that’s another story). Certainly I was blessed by the native hospitality, and their genuine spirit. Perhaps that’s where my interest in the stamps and postal history of this island began. Yet it seems that the postal history of Molokai is not all that common compared to, say, the larger Hawaiian islands. You could say that might be another reason for my awakened curiosity and fascination with the place.

Anyway, so this is Molokai in philately.

One of those little philatelic niches of mine, which I hope to share over the years. Yet my collection is only small, like our tiny aircraft that day flying through the vast wilderness of Mother nature. So, give voice to YOUR thoughts and DISCUSS your wisdom on this subject too.

What do YOU know? What have YOU found? What have YOU got filed away in those albums of yours? What can YOU share? What have you seen in auction catalogues? Have you been there too?

I know we have one member from Molokai, but they haven't been active since 2012...

Hawaiian Post Offices

[Catweazle]

.
This image below is an extract from a back issue of La Posta: A Journal of American Postal History, dated July 1992. You can download the PDF file here from their website: http://www.lapostapub.com/Backissues/LP23-3.pdf

List of Molokai Post Offices

The article outlines some of the post offices across the island since the dawn of the twentieth century. It seems to suggest that a number of post offices have since closed, and that only those at Maunaloa, Kalaupapa, Hoolehua, Kaunakakai, Kualapuu remain in operation (at the time of writing in 1992). Not sure about Kaulawai?

My understanding is that, prior to 1900, mail was gathered together and sorted elsewhere, much like the Danish PO did for Greenlandic mail in the early days before it issued its own stamps. However, there are postmarks from a number of the post offices listed above – so my guess is that some sort of official postal service was established on the island long before this date.

Hawaiianstamps.com/ states that:

Mail service on the island consisted of four post offices and one small mail collection point, all located along the south coast of East Molokai. A small post office also was located at the leper colony on Kalaupapa. Postmasters on Molokai were at first appointed and supervised by the Lahaina postmaster. The postmaster at Kaluaaha conducted on-island supervision until around 1880, when that role was assumed by the postmaster at Kaunakakai.

When Kaunakakai became recognized as the leading post office on the island, the postmaster there began reporting directly to the Postmaster General, although the Lahaina postmaster exercised formal appointment authority until 1884.

Mail was brought to and from the island on the frequent Lahaina work boats - schooners and other small sailing craft servicing Molokai Ranch. In 1875, the steamship Kilauea began servicing Kaunakakai once a month, but the main mail connection continued to be the Lahaina work boats. By 1880, the steamship Mokolii was making weekly stops at Kaunakakai and Pukoo. In the 1890s there were weekly steamship stops at all Molokai ports.

Postal markings began with a manuscript “Molokai” postmark used at Kaluaaha in the 1860s. In total, two manuscript postmarks and nine handstamped postmarks are recorded from Molokai. Three other handstamped postmarks reportedly were used on Molokai but the accuracy of those reports cannot be confirmed and they are listed as “tentative

Mokulau, Maui and interisland steamer, Kīlauea (May 1922)

Lot#2128 Schuyler J Rumsey Philatelic Auctions

Now if we were to venture further back in time – rev that Delorean! – Mystic Stamps describes how, in 1819, the Hawaiian King at the time established freedom of religion in the Islands. The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions then began sending teachers and missionaries to Hawaii and many American missionaries had settled there within twenty years.

To send a letter from Honolulu to America at that time, a person first had to find a ship ready to sail to the U.S. Then, he took his letter to the ship’s captain and asked him to mail it on the mainland. He did not pay the captain; the recipient would pay the postage. When he docked at a U.S. port, the captain took the letters to a post office, turned them in, and received two cents per letter for his service.

So, Hawaii's first stamps were often missionary issues, like the ones in this much later 2001 USA commemorative issue:

2001 37¢ Hawaiian Missionaries (souvenir sheet of 4 stamps)

[Catweazle]

.
But let us return again to the little island of Molokai.

Nay, Belgium. Let us pay Belgium a brief visit, since we are on the subject of missionaries...

Tremelo, Belgium

In January 1840, one Joseph de Veuster was born as the youngest of seven children in Tremelo, Belgium. Since his older sisters Eugénie and Pauline became nuns – and his brother Augustus became a Catholic priest – little Joseph was forced to quit school at the ripe young age of 13 to help work the family farm. Ah, those were the days! Nothing like a good bit of fresh country air to put hairs on your chest. Some of the kids today should make tracks outback and learn a thing or too...

However, Joseph's parents considered him better suited to a commercial career, and later sent him to be educated at the college of Braine-le-Comte.

A little random cover from Braine-le-Comte. Mailed on July 2, 1854. Note the #22 town postmark.

But hang it, Catweazle – why the heck are we talking about a Belgian kid called Joseph?

Well this kid later changed his name to Father Damien. And Father Damien was a missionary on Molokai... Which is why the house where he was born is now part of the new Damiaan Museum.

You see, he attended the Society of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary under the French Picpus Fathers, who were known for having established missions throughout the Pacific Islands to spread the Gospel, build churches and proclaim their Catholic faith. Incidentally this was particularly successful in the Kingdom of Hawaii. They established what is now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu and built the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States. Hawaii's first six bishops, from 1833 to 1940, were members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Other churches founded by the institute include Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Hilo and Maria Lanakila Catholic Church on Maui.

On October 8, 1860, at the Novitiate of Issy near Paris, Joseph took the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as a Brother of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He was 23. He was given the name of Father Damien, after Saint Damien of Cecilia, a fourth century physician and martyr. Perhaps his vocation had already found him. It has been said that, eager to embark on a faithful mission, he prayed daily for the intercession of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of missionaries.

Portugal 2006 St. Francis Xavier stamp issue

Other Portuguese stamps depicting St. Francis Xavier

Anyway, enough of the Portuguese stamps in a thread about a Hawaiian island. By now, Father Damien’s brother had already been a priest for some years. He had been selected to leave as a missionary to Hawaii but on the eve of his journey fell gravely ill. In this way, Father Damien’s prayers were answered and it was he who came to take his brother’s place. He arrived in Honolulu on Oahu in 1864 after a long voyage at sea. Later that same year, on 21 May, Father Damien was finally ordained as a priest at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu.

In 1865, Damien was sent to the Catholic Mission in North Kohala, on the larger island of Hawai’i. During his service here, where he remained for eight years until 1873, Damien built the first Kohala Catholic Church at Halawa. Today it is known as Our Lady of Victory. Later, Father Gulstan Robert helped him to build the first Catholic school on the island at Halaula.

1946 Halaula postmark on cover from Kohala

1979 USA FDC featuring King Kamehameha V

Meanwhile, by the mid nineteenth century, the Kingdom of Hawaii was struggling both with extensive labour shortages and a public health crisis throughout the islands. Many of the local Hawaiian parishioners experienced infectious diseases introduced by foreign sailors, including smallpox, cholera, influenza, syphilis and whooping cough. I haven't got an example in my collection, but occasionally old fumigated covers from the era appear at auction. They are not for those with cheap pockets!

Perhaps one of the most feared diseases was leprosy (Hansen’s disease), because it was thought to be so contagious and incurable. Such was their fear of this disease that in 1865 King Kamehameha V passed "the Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy". This law encouraged forced quarantined of the lepers, and required that those with the most serious cases were moved to Kalawao, a settlement colony near Kalaupapa on the Eastern corner of Molokai.

Excerpts from "An Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy" (January 3, 1865)

The natural landscape and steep sea cliffs formed a natural land barrier, to which the only access was by sea or air, except for a long, winding traverse through the back country valley where even the donkeys struggled. It was here, on the North-eastern peninsula that, from 1866 until 1969, about 8000 Hawaiians suffering with leprosy were sent for state-imposed medical quarantine.

Belgium 1964 stamp issue: The Struggle against Leprosy

Belgium 1946–47 Pater Damianus stamp issues

The stamp issue depicted above features three well-known historical figures. These are just the ones related to Fr. Damien. Note the brown 1.35 + 2 Fr stamp (in the middle) that shows Kalawao with the St. Philomena Catholic Church in the foreground. Kalawo was the small village established on the Eastern side of the peninsula, with Kalaupapa on the Western end opposite.

The 1999 film Molokai: The Story Of Father Damien – directed by Paul Cox and starring Peter O'Toole and David Wenhamand – was filmed here on location.

Not all that long ago, you could jump on the back of a mule (donkey) and embark down the trail from the top of the cliffs to the coast. Last I heard this tour is unavailable and no longer in operation. Instead, when we were there in 2018, we opted for the hiking trail ourselves while others in our group flew down to Kalaupapa in a tin-pot aircraft from Molokai's Hoolehua airport on the main part of the island. You need special permits to visit nowadays, as it is a national park with restricted entry, and this is carefully monitored, but there are still a few people who live there today.

The old trail down the cliffs

Looking down towards Kalaupapa in 2018 (Kalawao is situated on the other side of this small peninsula)

St. Philomena Catholic Church in 2018

Looking back up the cliffs, from inside an old building

Me being an idiot and having fun too

[Global Admin]

.
Nothing laying about stamp wise that I can think of from Molokai -- but will advise if I do.

This is the check-in desk for Mokulele Airlines. They weigh you, y’know. And if you’re over 160kgs then forget it and book HA’s Boeing 717 instead. They won’t fly you. Legit. There’s a notice on their website to this effect.

Ha!

We must have been too heavy, as we flew on this Flying Ceegar carrier, Island Air. (We visited the slighly larger Concorde in NYC that trip. I once flew it using a cunning points lurk that cost me only $1350 round trip, and had Bruce Springsteen and Tommy Mottola sitting behind me!)

The airport arrival area there I took a photo of below - hard to believe for the USA!

My notes from that trip to Molokai said - ''There is no building there more than 2 stories, and no traffic lights anywhere on the island. It gets 70,000 visitors a year, versus the 2.5 million that nearby Maui receives. We were in Maui the month earlier, and it is a madhouse''

Looking up the notes for this trip I find we flew for a week from SYD-SFO-Honolulu-LAX-Chicago-New York-Denver, SFO-Honolulu-Molokai-HNL-LAX-SYD. 25,000 air miles or so, for peanuts cost.

Those were the good old days when by cunning manipulating of the United Airlines booking website, side trips to and from Hawaii from California added zero $ to the NYC cost from here as a result. And one upgrade certificate covered the lot if planned cunningly with no stop more than 24 hours! Arrive at Chicago at 9am and fly out at 8.50am next day, and it was not a legal airline ''stopover'' etc.

i.e. SYD-NYC-SYD most direct routing cost the same as diverting via Hawaii both ways, so we did that 10 times. (3 times in that year actually, once via Argentina and Venezuela just for fun!) For the extra miles and points, and visited all islands as a side benefit

.

The white stuff is SNOW in NYC in Feb.

.

[Catweazle]

.
Here we have two Hawaiian postal stationary-type cards addressed to Fr. Damien's superior – Father Leonor Fouesnel – at the Catholic Mission in Honolulu. Postmarked Kapaa Koloa in 1887 and 1889. These were recently listed on eBay for about USD$550 the lot.

Front

Reverse

Fun fact: Fr. Fouesnel was played by actor Dereck Jacobi in the 1999 film Molokai: The Story of Father Damien.

“Good man of religion, good priest,” Father Fouesnel once wrote, as the vice-provincial of the mission at Honolulu, “but…sometimes indiscreet zeal leads him to say, to write, and even to do things which ecclesiastical authority can only criticize.” To be true, Fr. Damien was constantly at odds with his superiors Fouesnel and Hermann Koeckemann (the bishop). They did not see eye to eye, and this certainly is shown in the film.

Father Leonor Fouesnel (refering to a letter from Damien in his hand): Your Grace... this is outrageous! He's now demanding timber and nails. He says that he's not going to sleep under a roof until there is adequate cover for all the patients.

Bishop Maigret: There's another article about him in the paper today. The prime minister calls him a Christian hero.

Bishop Maigret [reads from paper]: "A healthy young man who has sacrificed himself for the dying inhabitants of Molokai." Does he speak of returning?

Father Leonor Fouesnel: Oh no, on the contrary.

Father Leonor Fouesnel [reading from the letter in his hand]: "This settlement needs a resident priest. Many are dying. I want to stay."

Bishop Hermann Koeckmann and Father Leonor Fouesnel. In Daws, Holy man: Father Damien of Molokai, 1973.

Left: Fr. Fouesnel & Right: Bishop Maigret in Paul Cox's 1999 film

Father Damien suffered from leprosy himself, and died in 1889. Despite Fr. Fouesnel's or the bishop's criticisms – which were eloquently argued against by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson in a letter published shortly after his visit to Honolulu and Kalawao in 1890 – Damien was later canonised in 2009 by Benedict XVI and is now considered a saint in the Catholic church.

Off topic: Stevenson's letter is available in full online via Project Gutenberg and is well worth a read if you are interested in this subject: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/281/281-h/281-h.htm

Another character in the 1999 film was Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer, played by actor Kris Kristofferson.

Left: Meyer & Right: Damien in Paul Cox's 1999 film

Now Meyer was a German migrant who founded a strong agricultural business in the Hawaiian islands. He met Rev. Harvey Rexford Hitchcock on Molokai, who accepted him as a guest at his missionary station on Kaluaaha on the eastern coast of Molokai.

He later established a family farm in the central northern area of Kalae. King Kamehameha V also hired Meyer’s family to manage the Molokai Ranch on the Western side of the island, where Meyer also operated a dairy, producing butter that was sent to California.

Meyer’s oldest son, Otto Samuel Meyer, was born on 2 March, 1854, and served as an accountant for the family business. This cover is addressed to him.

Included below are a range of covers I recently picked up for at least half of what they'd really be worth, so they were a bargain in my eyes. The first was sent from Honolulu on 8 June 1896 to O.S. Meyer at Kaunakakai on Molokai. Although this is one of the larger towns, it remains classified as Maui County in the census. Interesting. Featuring an 1894 2¢ Local Motifs Hawaii postage stamp, cancelled by a barred numeral postmark. The others are also sent from Honolulu.

Kaunakakai Molokai 1896 Cover

1897 Cover addressed to Kalae Dairy (Molokai)

1897 Kalae Dairy Cover

1897 Honolulu Cover to Kalae Dairy

1893 Honolulu Cover to Theodore T. Meyer at Kalae, Molokai

[RevRed+]

A lot of info there!! Thank you.

[Catweazle]

A lot of info there!! Thank you.

Hardly! I don't have all that much in my collection yet, so here's to watching it slowly grow and build over the years.

.
Nothing laying about stamp wise that I can think of from Molokai -- but will advise if I do.


Thanks Glen, please do! And the same goes for anyone else reading this if you'd like an offer...

This is the check-in desk for Mokulele Airlines. They weigh you, y’know. And if you’re over 160kgs then forget it and book HA’s Boeing 717 instead. They won’t fly you. Legit. There’s a notice on their website to this effect.

Ha!

We must have been too heavy, as we flew on this Flying Ceegar carrier, Island Air. (We visited the slighly larger Concorde in NYC that trip. I once flew it using a cunning points lurk that cost me only $1350 round trip, and had Bruce Springsteen and Tommy Mottola sitting behind me!)

The airport arrival area there I took a photo of below - hard to believe for the USA!

Still, a much more pleasant experience than LAX or SFO for that matter. In and out, and off you go! Give me a little departure shed like this anyway over an oversized, overcrowded international airport terminal.

My notes from that trip to Molokai said - ''There is no building there more than 2 stories, and no traffic lights anywhere on the island. It gets 70,000 visitors a year, versus the 2.5 million that nearby Maui receives. We were in Maui the month earlier, and it is a madhouse''

Well now, that sure puts things into perspective. Thanks for sharing!

Looking up the notes for this trip I find we flew for a week from SYD-SFO-Honolulu-LAX-Chicago-New York-Denver, SFO-Honolulu-Molokai-HNL-LAX-SYD. 25,000 air miles or so, for peanuts cost.

Those were the good old days when by cunning manipulating of the United Airlines booking website, side trips to and from Hawaii from California added zero $ to the NYC cost from here as a result. And one upgrade certificate covered the lot if planned cunningly with no stop more than 24 hours! Arrive at Chicago at 9am and fly out at 8.50am next day, and it was not a legal airline ''stopover'' etc.

i.e. SYD-NYC-SYD most direct routing cost the same as diverting via Hawaii both ways, so we did that 10 times. (3 times in that year actually, once via Argentina and Venezuela just for fun!) For the extra miles and points, and visited all islands as a side benefit.

Were you in a hurry to get back, or juicing your status cards that year for another round of Joseph Perrier? I bought twelve bottles of Red in order to get some extra airline miles for this trip, then ended up paying USD$12 in taxes for Fairbanks – Seattle – San Francisco – Seattle – Edmonton instead of a $450 airfare on a direct flight. Bargain!

DSCF0842-001.JPG

.

DSCF0800-001.JPG

.

DSCF0843-001.JPG

[Catweazle]

1958 Cover Postmarked Kaunakakai

Jumping forward into the future to the 1950s now, we'll leave Father Damien at his duties for the time being. Here we have a nice airmail cover addressed to Oakland, CA. Although it is postmarked at Kaunakakai on 18 March, 1958, the return address is from Kilohana Elementary School in Pukoo, about 30 kilometres away along King Kamehameha V Highway.

The school still exists today, and had for decades long before this cover was mailed. According to the school website:

Kilohana School nestles near the foothills of Ualapue, Moloka’i. It had its beginning in another school built some time ago before Kilohana has opened their doors, in a section not too far from Ualapue, called Kalua'aha. The Kalua'aha School took its name from the area in which it was found. It wasn’t until 1935 that the school which bore the name Kalua’aha for over a century was done away with and all students attending were transferred to what was the Ualapue hospital, which was renamed Kilohana School.

It is said that Kilohana was named after a mountain back of the school, but the hill actually known as “Kilohana” rises above and between the valleys of Wailau and Pelekunu. It may be that a look-out had been established on the hill back of the old hospital. Kilohana means “a look-out”.

One can only assume that, that particular mountain was used as a look-out, as it has a good view of the ocean. Possibly to watch for approaching canoes, enemy or otherwise. Perhaps because of this, the school was named Kilohana.

And yet, Kilohana, according to an article in one of the early 1900 issues of the Hawaii’s Young People, means also the working of the pattern in color on tapa. In other words, when dyes were used and patterns made on tapa, this was called Kilohana. The east end of Moloka’i was the tapa making district of Moloka’i and maybe it was this that gave the school its name, Kilohana.

Kilohana opened its doors as a school under the administration of Mr. Albert U. Inaba, in 1935. Much of the original building, upon conversion, still maintains visible construction of what it once was a hospital. An aged and of noble design, the building, however, maintains its original form.

In 1976, an historical groundbreaking ceremony took place where an eight classroom building now stands. Blessed by Reverend Elmer Wilson and with dedication remarks by Principal Stephen Petro, the new classrooms opened in January 1977.

Kilohana School majestically sits under swaying keawe trees housing students, faculty and staff members today. It is maintained with care and love throughout its halls and campus. Surrounded by mountains and its sea, Kilohana School carries its own legends of old, and we are proud to say Kilohana School has become one of the famous registered Historical Sites in Hawaiian History.

Kilohana School always will be, now and forever more.

One of the many inlets near Pukoo

1953 Pukoo Postmark on another cover

Now the popular coastal drive along the Hana Highway (state route 360) over on Maui is on every tourists' must-do list. And rightly so, not simply because it winds its way past the Garden of Eden. It makes the magnificence of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia, seem almost bland in comparison. The twists, the turns, the single-lane bridges and the blind corners – the immense waterfalls cascading down the cliffs and over the road, the roaring ocean far below, the blue and green hues of the Pacific stretching beyond the horizon – and the power of a V8 Ford Mustang engine gurgling along at forty kilometres an hour at best, often slowing down to a walking pace as you creep around another rocky gorge excepting to nudge your way head-first into on-coming traffic.

But the King Kamehameha V Highway that traverses around the edge of the Southern coast of Molokai is aptly named, and deserves it too. Sure, Maui is beautiful – I'm sure all the Hawaiian islands are beautiful – but here on Molokai we have a single lane road with nothing but the sea bashing the rocks on one side, and a steep wall of picturesque flora on the other. Forget the speed limit here, since you'll likely stay at a crawl for most of the way. Watch out for the local Tony Hawk enthusiast. We turned the corner at one point and almost hit a skateboarder powering forward in the opposite direction! Yet, as Glen says, "show me another!" I bet you a dollar that there is no drive more delightful on all the earth than this, King Kamehameha V's highway.

State Route 450 between Kaunakakai and Pukoo

The road continues for another 20 kilometres East along the coast, before petering out as a dirt track that stops abruptly at the edge of Hālawa Valley. Another huge, majestic cascade of water rushes down the valley and through the open gorge, before meeting with the sea.

From this point, as I gazed out across the grey, cloudiness of the Pacific ocean and the weather began to turn, I realised that there was nothing between us and the glaciers of Alaska except this vast expanse of windswept ocean.

Hālawa Valley

Meanwhile, Dapsone was not available as a cure for Hansen's Disease – otherwise known as leprosy – until the 1950s. The leprosy colony established in the 1800s over at Kalaupapa on the Northern end of the island continued still for another ten years after the period during which these covers were sent.

[Catweazle]

On the subject of PUKOO postmarks, it seems that they are relatively uncommon (certainly compared to other town postmarks or postal cancellations from Molokai).

For example, this was lot #1860 in HR Harmer's 3003 auction (can't find the date for the life of me?) It was estimated at USD$160 with a bargain reserve of only USD$100.

But the final cost of this item, including the hammer price + 18% buyer's commission fee + 3% credit card fees + minimum USD$50 FedEx shipping fee (what the!?!?) was USD$1078.5 by my calculations.

1899 Pukoo Molokai Postmark

81(3), Pukoo Molokai, Jun 3 1899 purple postmark type #281.9a1 rarity "2" with target killer tie strip of three 2c stamps to piece, Very Fine.

Well after all, Pukoo is a very small town I guess.

[Eli]

Thanks Catweazle for starting this interesting thread. I never heard about Molokai (Well, "Hawaii Five-0" TV series broadcasted in Israel more than 50 years ago, and I only remember the music in the beginning of each chapter ). When I saw the post about Damien, I recall I have a folder with ten Cinderella stamps about him, one of them shows Molokai. St. Philomena Church is depicted on the lower left corner of it. The center shows Damien Monument in the village of Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai:

I have no information about who designed, engraved and issued this great folder. I asked about it in the Cinderella forum, but received no answers. Any way, great engraving Cinderella stamps and nice tribute to Father Damien.

[Catweazle]

Once again back to the earlier days, about ten years after the death of Father Damien, and for the record, here's another cover Pukoo. Nice, but rather simple. Nothing unusual or outstanding other than the postmark, from what I can tell (unless someone can advise otherwise?)

Unfortunately not one from my collection - this was from the Thurston Twigg-Smith Collection of Hawaiian Stamp and Postal History as auctioned by Robert A. Siegel in 2007. It was the only cover in this collection originating from this little town, with an estimate of only USD$150 in contrast to the final hammer price of USD$995 including buyer's fees, postage e.t.c.

1894 2c Brown with 1898 Pukoo Molokai postmark

1894, 2c Brown (75). Tied by brownish-black “Pukoo, Molokai, Sep. 7, 189(8?)” double-circle
datestamp and duplex target (Ty. 281.9a1, Scarcity 2) on cover to Minister of Interior in
Honolulu, receiving backstamp, slight toning, Very Fine ................................. E. 150-200

Eli - a lovely set of Cinderella stamps! Perhaps they deserve a place in the engraved stamps thread too: https://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=16852

I saw some listed a while back on Delcampe but found little information available out there. Where's bazza4338 when you need them, hah! My guess is that these would have been commemorative of sorts.

I can't quite tell from your scan - who are the other people depicted on these stamps? Two priests and two other colleagues by some name?

I could be wrong, but is one of those Cinderellas on the left page there depicting his house of birth, which is now the location of the Damiaan Museum? Here's an old photograph, and one that is coloured from an unused postcard in my collection:

Father Damien's old house in Tremelo, Belgium

Damiaan Museum

Father Damien died on April 15, 1889, in Kalawao during the week leading up to Holy Week before Easter. He was 49 and quite young even in those days, but had suffered from leprosy and the disease had made him look much older than he was. He was buried in a simple grave just outside St. Philomena Church in settlement of Kalawao.

However, since he was a Belgian priest, his remains were later dug up in 1936 and taken to Louvain in Belgium at the request of the Belgian government. In response, the Hawaiians kicked up a fuss - understandably perhaps, since he was their saint after all, and his legacy is largely thanks to his work on Molokai attending to those in the leper colony. So the Belgian government kindly shipped back his hand - what is known as a holy 'relic' in Catholic terms. Today, only his hand is buried in the grave outside St. Philomena Church, and the rest of his body lies buried in Belgium. It seems that he was quite the intrepid traveler even after death!

Looking East towards Maui across the graveyard

Fr. Damien's graveyard on Molokai

A younger Fr. Damien before leprosy

A 49 year old Fr. Damien who shared in the suffering of those with leprosy (Hansen's disease)

[Eli]

Thanks for the information and photos about Father Damien.

Eli - a lovely set of Cinderella stamps! Perhaps they deserve a place in the engraved stamps thread too: https://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=16852

Thanks for the link. If I recall correctly, I think I posted in the past a stamp or two in the Engraved Beauty thread and I will consider posting the Cinderella labels there too, although I posted them in high resolution in the Cinderella forum.

Last thing, several years ago I had a folder issued in Belgium (private?) contains the three 1964 Belgium stamps, you posted above, cancelled with FD commemorative postmark with a lot of information and photos. I sent it as a gift to a SB member, a Greek collector of doctors on stamps, and unfortunately didn't scan it. See if there is something in it about Molokai.

[Catweazle]

Thanks for the information and photos about Father Damien.

Eli - a lovely set of Cinderella stamps! Perhaps they deserve a place in the engraved stamps thread too: https://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=16852

Thanks for the link. If I recall correctly, I think I posted in the past a stamp or two in the Engraved Beauty thread and I will consider posting the Cinderella labels there too, although I posted them in high resolution in the Cinderella forum.

Last thing, several years ago I had a folder issued in Belgium (private?) contains the three 1964 Belgium stamps, you posted above, cancelled with FD commemorative postmark with a lot of information and photos. I sent it as a gift to a SB member, a Greek collector of doctors on stamps, and unfortunately didn't scan it. See if there is something in it about Molokai.

Is this the one you mean?

Interesting! Can't find any information about the little 1964 folder elsewhere on the net. Seems to be very uncommon, then? Thank you though for mentioning it, as I will certainly keep an eye out on future auctions around the place. Perhaps one will turn up in the future.

Meanwhile, I hope the S.G. member who know has it in his or her collection can share it here on this thread with us!

[Catweazle]

.
The Western coast of Molokai might very well be considered the West End. Indeed, the company behind the infamous Sheraton Hotels once managed more than one residence over there, before they sold the properties on to Kukui, a Japanese firm, in the 1990s. This company, however, mismanaged the hotel for several years and the hotel was shut down again in 2001.

Was their paradise resort largely a flop? No idea, but today there are now a number of abandoned hotels on Molokai. Most unfortunate, in some ways. Here is a postcard showing the old Molokai hotel, not that far from where I stayed in 2018:

Molokai Sheraton on a postcard

And just because you can buy almost anything and everything from eBay, here is a flat pack of matches from the early days:

Of course, there are still some aging yet charming condos at the Kepuhi Beach Resort (Kaluakoi villas). I am not sure if these are the old resurrected Sheraton buildings or if those might be located at another place on the map. In any case they are, as I said, altogether quite charming. It could have been because we stayed there during the off-season in early December – when most Americans are still tidying up the office before the Christmas vacation – or simply because Molokai is already quiet on a good day.

One afternoon, after a lazy afternoon spent paddling in the surf and meandering about the place, we started wondering where to fix some dinner. We had no supplies of our own at this point. We were tired enough, having already driven back and forth that day across the island from the airport, to Halawa Valley and now here, to the West End.

By the way, don’t buy a Jeep Wrangler unless you have an bottomless gas tank in your own garage.

Anyway, from what we could see on the satellite view enabled on Google Maps, Maunaloa looked promising.

1980 Maunaloa Postmark

Alas, Maunaloa has no restaurant. We could not find a take-away van, nor a café, nor a general store that was still open past 6pm. This gives you a sense of the comparative size, scale and accessibility to things in contrast to, say, the more touristy islands of Maui or Oahu. Already our stomach juices were gurgling, but there was no place in Maunaloa to buy food at that hour, so late in the afternoon. Actually I’m not even sure if there is a general store at the best of times.

We drove around and around, up and down through the inky darkness of the residential streets, illuminated only by the occasional street light. Some of the streets were quite steep, since Maunaloa is situated on the side of an extinct volcano – or is it merely dormant, sleeping soundly until its next grand awakening? There is an active volcano by the same name over on the big island of Hawaii.

According to one source, many Maunaloa residents used to work at Molokai Ranch, which closed in March 2008. The ranch was the largest employer on the island. It operated a hotel (Molokai Lodge), the Kaupoa Beach Village, the Kaluakoi Golf Course, the Maunaloa gas station, movie theatre and cattle ranch. When the company ceased all operations on Molokai, it closed all of these businesses and 120 workers were laid off. Maunaloa residents were forced to look for jobs elsewhere and many are still trying to find work.

God knows how, but we managed to connect to some international hotspot and locate something of a map. Where to next?

We settled upon Hoolehua, the only other township this side of Kalaupapa, and set out driving in an Easterly direction again towards the middle of the island, back towards the airport where we had started out early that same morning. The hills were deserted; wide, open paddocks that give rise to Molokai’s agricultural industry and plantations. It provide a stark contrast to the jagged, mountainous cliffs on the other side of the island.

Finally we stumbled upon the Kualapuu Cookhouse. Food at last, and it was pretty good too!

In short, what I had meant to write here was simply that Hoolehua and Kualapuu are two adjoining townships in the middle of the island. Here you will find the airport, the Cookhouse, Purdy’s macadamia farm, a few other plantations, a secondary college, medical centre and a few other essential services. But there’s no petrol station here!

Here's a cover mailed from Molokai High to Long Beach, CA. Today, it remains the only public school on the island and serves a population of about 340 students from grades 9 through 12. Native Hawaiian students comprise 77.2% of the school's population, reflective of Molokai having the highest percentage of Native Hawaiians in the state. Half or more of the school staff are either alumni of MHS or born and raised on Molokai. Perhaps this explains why the school offers an Hawaiian language immersion and English as an additional language (EAL). ​​The school also reestablished its agriculture program and the Future Farmers of America, allowing students to enjoy hands-on experiences in commercial, terrace, permaculture, hydroponic and aquaponic farming.

1948 Hoolehua Postmark on Cover to Long Beach CA

Incidentally you can post home a coconut from Hoolehua. No, seriously. Check it out here: https://postanut.com/

Unfortunately I didn’t know that at the time, otherwise I’d be figuring out a way to cram a whole coconut into my stamp album!

[Catweazle]

I think there must be a series of covers like this. Are they just from the Hawaiian islands, or do they have them from other US territories in the Pacific too?

Hoolehua 1980 postmark on cover

Kualapuu 1980 postmark on cover

[Catweazle]

1951 Air Mail cover from Hoolehua

Mail from both Hoolehua and Kaunakakai seems to be more common in Molokian terms. They are after all the larger of the two main towns on the island. The cover above was sent via Air Mail to Salt Lake City (UT) in 1951 from one Josephine Makaiwi. I wonder if she is the same person mentioned in the article below – certainly the date matches. She and her husband Moses were, I believe, established members of the agricultural societies. She died about two months after she sent this cover at the age of 53. She is now buried in the Hoolehua cemetery.

Josephine Makaiwi's gravestone in Hoolehua

1959 Hoolehua Inaugural Route AM-99 on a special cover

The cover above commemorates the first jet prop airmail service from Hoolehua to Honolulu with Aloha Airlines (route AM-99). Before this time, there were other airmail services but apparently the jet prop is a new thing now? What am I missing here? It looks to be signed by the postmaster of Hoolehua, Raymond Orvellas (?) My guess is that its largely philatelic and was produced for collectors at the time who ordered one specially.

“Official cachets will be authorized and furnished, at the following offices: Lihue, Honolulu, Hoolehua, Kahului, and Hilo.”

But why does this article in the May 1951 edition of The Postal Bulletin suggest otherwise?

The Postal Bulletin (May 1951)

Gas Station at Kaunakakai

Well it kinda sucked that we hired a Jeep Wrangler, since the only petrol station is located in Kaunakakai. This photo above was taken at about 5:00am the morning of our departure, when we had to fill up the tank with fuel before dropping the vehicle back at Alamo. Fun to drive, but quite the fuel guzzler!

Kaunakakai is a little more touristy these days, since you’ll find the main Hotel Molokai and the Castle Shores situated near here along the Southern coast of the island.

1954 HAM Radio card from Kaunakakai

Does anyone still operate the old HAM radios as a hobby these days? There must still be a few old timers who do this, but no millennial would have a clue what it’s all about. Does anyone collect these cards as part of their philatelic collection?

I wonder if the Meyer family had a plantation near Kaunakakai, or if it was a point of collection for much of the mail that arrived in Molokai, being perhaps nearer the coast than Hoolehua. In any case, they operated the Kalae Dairy north along the road past Hoolehua, so perhaps called in at Kaunakakai for their mail. I might have to dig deeper and undertake some more research here…

1896 Cover addressed to Meyer at Kaunakakai

[Catweazle]

Here we are again; no, the thread is far from over.

Somewhere between Kaunakakai and Pukoo lies a small village known as Kamalō. My understanding is that it may have been named after the priest in one of Hawaii’s cultural tales; the Legend of Kamalo and the Shark-god of Molokai.

Long ago on the island of Molokai lived Kupa, the high chief, and Kamalo, one of his priests. Kamalo had two sons, who had great courage and accomplished great feats of daring. Kupa had a house constructed in the Mapulehu valley, which ended in the harbor and is now called Aikanaka. Kamalo's temple was located nearby, in the village of Kaluaaha, which faces the channel between Molokai and Maui. Inside chief Kupa's temple, two very special drums were kept. Kupa used the beating of these drums to communicate his thoughts to his priests over great distances.

One day, when Kupa was away on a fishing trip, Kamalo's sons decided to see the chief's great drums for themselves They entered the chief's home and marvelled at the magnificent drums, and although their father had taught them the ways of the temple and that things sacred to the gods must not be touched, temptation overcame them, and the boys began to beat hard on the drums.

When the chief returned and heard about what had happened, he became furious, killing the boys and presenting their bodies at the alter in sacrifice. When Kamalo learned of the death of his sons, a heavy bitterness filled his heart and he became obsessed with revenge. No match for Kupa on his own, he consulted with prophets and seers throughout Molokai, but each one was fearful of Kupa and would not help Kamalo.
Eventually, Kamalo came to the cliffs that overlook Kalawao and Kalaupapa. Down at the bottom there was a temple (heiau) devoted to the shark god, Kauhuhu. Kamalo climbed down the rock face and spoke to the priest of the temple, who told him to go to the cave of the shark god below. Exhausted, Kamalo made his way down the rockface and told his story to the guards at the mouth of the cave, winning their sympathy…

The story continues. See this link if you’d like to read the rest: https://www.to-hawaii.com/legends/kamalo.php

If you cast an eye back over the list of post offices in an earlier post on this thread, you’ll see that it was in effect from 1900. My suspicions make me wonder if there was a postal office of sorts there before this time, given the apparent age of this stamp below. However, it may well have been cancelled since then because I cannot make out a date. Can you? Beats me!

1894 2c Brown (View of Honolulu)

The stamp itself – Hawaii Postage 2¢ brown – is one of the early 1894 issues, depicting a lovely harbour scene from Honolulu. Is that Diamond Head in the mid-ground? Similar stamps with new colours were later issued in February, 1899.

Hawaii Postage 1894 Stamp Issues

Apparently, in 1900, U.S. stamps were distributed to the Republic of Hawaii and these existing Republic of Hawaii stamps were destroyed – making these sought-after stamps even scarcer.

Actually, any Hawaiian stamps issued before 1900 are eagerly sought after by collectors and the earlier ones especially make big bucks. Pictured below is a contemporary 2002 reprint of one example, based on the now famous Hawaiian Missionary stamps of 1851 – 1853. I have already posted an image of the mini–sheet from this issue.

Hawaiian Missionary Stamps: 2002 Fr. Damian FDC

It seems that when Molokai is in discussion, Fr. Damian pops up everywhere. He is, after all, still their local hero and now their own island saint. The aforementioned town of Kamalo is of interest here because it was in Kamalo where Fr. Damian built St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in 1876. You can visit it today and maybe enjoy a picnic in the nearby gardens en route to Pukoo and the Halawa Valley.

Postcard published in 1975

(2012) St Joseph's Church, Kamalo

(2012) St Joseph's Church, Kamalo (Inside)

[Catweazle]

.
Father Damien suffered from leprosy himself, and died in 1889. Despite Fr. Fouesnel's or the bishop's criticisms – which were eloquently argued against by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson in a letter published shortly after his visit to Honolulu and Kalawao in 1890 – Damien was later canonised in 2009 by Benedict XVI and is now considered a saint in the Catholic church.

Off topic: Stevenson's letter is available in full online via Project Gutenberg and is well worth a read if you are interested in this subject: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/281/281-h/281-h.htm

Well since we're back on the topic of Fr. Damian here, the 2009 Belgian stamp was also issued as a minisheet. It was released to commemorate Fr. Damian's canonisation. As you can see, his portrait here is based on his 49 year old photograph, similar to his bust which now stands in the small church in Kalawao (the other township on the Kalaupapa peninsula) – and his statue at Kamalo. The photograph in the background of this minisheet, however, presents a much younger Fr. Damian.

Belgium 2009 Fr. Damian Minisheet

What happened to make Fr. Damian a recognised saint in the Catholic Church?

And here is a special publication from the Society of the Sacred Hearts in Louvain a collection of postcards in a little envelope (almost like a folded, pull-out brochure): "his life, his work".

In other news, I was unfortunately the under-bidder on two covers in a recent auction, both postmarked at and mailed from Kalaupapa in the 1890s. Such mail seems to be increasingly scarce; those that are out there remain in the hands of Hawaiian and US collectors. Next time, I'll be bidding much higher! If you see something like this pop up for sale, do let me know...

[Catweazle]

King Kamehameha V used 5¢ with Kaunakaki postmark (overprinted "Provisional GOVT. 1893" in red)

Here we are again! Continuing with the Meyer family – as we know, they were well known for their farming activities. They owned the land above the Kalaupapa Leper Colony, and acted as the supply agent to the colony and liaison to Father Damien. They established the huge sugar plantation near Kalae (1876-1889).

R.W. Meyer Sugar Mill

R.W. Meyer Sugar Mill (Exterior)

R.W. Meyer Sugar Mill (Interior)

Most of the covers I’ve seen that were sent to Molokai in the late 1800s seem to be addressed to the Meyer family. This suggests that they were well-known and ran a successful plantation. Here’s another cover from Honolulu; postmarked on August 30, 1897.

Otto Meyer Kalae Sugar Plantation Cover

Otto was the son of German migrant Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer (1826-1897) and Hawaiian High Chiefess Kalama Waha (1832–1899). The R.W. Meyer Sugar Mill (named after his father) is now a museum and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only 19th Century Sugar Mill in Hawaii with its original processing equipment in place. The Mill was driven by animal.

Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer (1826-1897) &
Hawaiian High Chiefess Kalama Waha

The Meyers had six sons and five daughters. Otto Samuel Meyer (the oldest son) was born on March 2, 1854, and married Maggie Ann McCorriston in December 1889. He served as accountant of the business, took over leadership after his father died in 1897 and died February 26, 1931. A more detailed biography of his wife, Maggie Ann McCorriston, is available here: https://themccorristonsofmolokai.org/blog/margaret-ann-mccorriston-1867-1963

But don't you go and get Otto S Meyer confused with Otto S Meyer now. Two different people!

Otto S Meyer Obitury

Mail from both Hoolehua and Kaunakakai seems to be more common in Molokian terms. They are after all the larger of the two main towns on the island. The cover above was sent via Air Mail to Salt Lake City (UT) in 1951 from one Josephine Makaiwi. I wonder if she is the same person mentioned in the article below – certainly the date matches. She and her husband Moses were, I believe, established members of the agricultural societies. She died about two months after she sent this cover at the age of 53. She is now buried in the Hoolehua cemetery.

For any avid Sherlock fans, what do you notice about the handwriting on the cover above and the one below?

Second cover from Josephine Makaiwi

Reverse of the Makaiwi cover

Both covers were mailed on the same day by the same sender. I picked both up from two different dealers. Isn’t it funny how small the world is, and how things come together. If only stamps or covers could talk. What a tale they could share!

Now if member Bazza4338 were still here, no doubt he’d be able to locate more family or historical records online. He certainly had the knack for that sort of thing. I haven’t found much more on Josephine Makaiwi, other that she has a number of descendants across the Hawaiian islands. Her family moved from the other islands to Molokai when she was young to tend the land as farmers. According to an early report from the 1920s, the Makaiwi family were known for the farming skills and their ability to live off the land. They believed in the true relationship of the "ohana". Within this relationship everyone had a job to do no one could get away without doing any work if the "ohana" was lazy they would eventually starve and be without the necessities. For more of this story – of the Manaiwi family and their agricultural ventures – see here: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=mphs

Perhaps it comes as no surprise, then, that Mrs. Josephine Manaiwi was a leading member of one of Molokai’s agricultural clubs, as the newpaper cutting above suggests. I dare say that the Manaiwi and Meyer families would have got on very well had they ever met!

[Global Admin]

Ben, only a buck or so but assume you have chased down this Belgium Father Damien stamp? -

At $US250 a ton dearer but VERY cool -

''DURING THE 1900 PLAGUE OUTBREAK IN HONOLULU ALL MAIL WAS FUMIGATED AT THE MAIN POST OFFICE.
LETTERS WERE SPREAD OUT IN AN AIR-TIGHT ROOM AND SUBJECTED TO THREE HOURS OF SULPHUR FLAMES.
THE THREE PUNCH HOLES ALLOWED PENETRATION OF THE FUMES.''

[Catweazle]

Thanks, Glen. Useful – no I haven't got that one yet. Cute little glasses!

They also released this issue in 1994.

1994 Belgium Damien & Mutien-Marie

The other stamp depicts St. Mutien-Marie Wiaux, who was a member of the Brothers of Christian Schools, and who spent his life as a teacher. He too is considered a saint by the Catholic Church. Apparently he had a good sense of humour but terrible classroom management skills, and would have left his Order were it not for the tutoring and mentoring of a fellow monk (thanks Wikipedia!)

Brazil also issued these, but I have been advised that they are not currently sending to Australia. Perhaps another member can help me out? There are four colours, and the ones below are examples of blocks. Not sure about the issue – are they valid postage stamps or some sort of Cinderella?

Brazil Fr Damien Stamps (1989 – 1992 ??)

Brazil Fr Damien Stamps (1989 – 1992 ??)

As you say, that cover is fascinating. There were a number of diseases that swept through the islands throughout the latter half of the 1800s, many of which came from foreign vessels. For example, the bubonic plague was reported in Honolulu and on December 12, 1899, the city was under quarantine until April 30, 1900. I think the Melbourne lockdowns still manage to beat that! I now understand how they must have felt then. There was also a Cholera outbreak in 1895. I've seen a few (rare and expensive!) covers fumigated during the Cholera outbreak too.

[Catweazle]

Next month, Schuyler J. Rumsey Philatelic Auctions will be auctioning the Gary Munson Hawaiian Collection.

Lot 3080 is this, featuring one of Hawaii's first so-called missionary stamps:

A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 1859 2¢ DARK BLUE ON GRAYISH WHITE NUMERAL ISSUE USED ON COVER.

1859 2¢ dark blue on grayish white, plate 3-B, type VIII, position 8, full margins to just clear, tied by red "Honolulu, Hawaiian-Islands, Aug 17" cds on cover to Mrs. Maria J. Forbes at Kaluaaha, Molokai; faint overall soiling not mentioned on accompanying certificate, cover with sealed diagonal tear at top center, a Very Fine and rare use with a sound stamp; with 2009 P.F. certificate.

Scott #13.a catalogue value USD$12,500 on cover.

The distinctive 2¢ Dark Blue on Grayish White Numeral issue is much rare used on cover than the 2¢ Light Blue on Bluish Numeral, but both catalog the same $12,500 on cover.

Below is an old sketch of Kaluaaha, which is where this cover is addressed. The oldest congregational church on the island is located here. This page is taken from The History of the Mission to the Sandwich Islands by Rufus Anderson. His account addresses the history of the missionaries in these parts but also the development of the Hawaiian government and people from 1820 - 1870. Note that this is different to the Southern Sandwich Islands, which are a British Overseas Territory in the Southern Antarctic Ocean. Very much the other end of the globe!

Kaluaaha

[Catweazle]

However, that's not the first of goodies advertised by Schuyler J. Rumsey Philatelic Auctions over the years. It seems that they have had a fine assortment of Molokian postal history cross their paths. For example, in 2016, they auctioned off an autographed letter by Fr. Damien himself that sold for USD$12,500 plus the usual buyer's premiums, postage e.t.c.

Autograph Letter Signed "J Damien"

Sale 65 Lot 507: Father Joseph De Veuster Damien, Autograph Letter Signed "J Damien" and reading in full "Dr. Emerson, Dear Sir, If you perhaps go to day at Honolulu I take the liberty for asking you to send me a good provision of Dr. Wrights and James pills - Canadian pain destroyer - and castor oil for the lepers in my neighborhood. With my aloha nui to his Exc. S. G. Wilder, Yours Truly, J. Damien cath pr.", and postscript "Feb. 7, 1879, The above request of Pere J. Damien is approved of and respectfully conferred to S.G. Wilder Minister Dept. of Interior, N.B. Emerson, Med. Spt. L.A., Kawawao, Molokai", Very Fine.

What I find quite the curiosity is this cover from Sale 85 (Lot 2157).

Sale 85 Lot 2157: Honolulu, Hawaiian Is., Feb. 26, 1851

There is a distinct Rev. J.C. Damien scrawled in the bottom left corner, but Damien's full name was Joseph Damien. Not sure what the 'C' is – unless it is an 'S.C.' ...Sacré Cœurs? Or in Latin: Congregatio Sacrorum Cordium Iesu et Mariæ necnon adorationis perpetuæ Ss. Sacramenti altaris; apparently abbreviated SS.CC. After all, he was a member of the missionary institute known as the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Perhaps he could have mailed this cover from San Francisco on his way to Hawaii – but the problem is the date. In 1851, he wasn't yet even a priest. He didn't begin his priestly studies until 1858, and only left for the Hawaiian islands in 1863. So, what's the story here, Rumsey?

Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaiian Is., Feb. 26, 1851, exquisite sharp bold strike of two-line date stamp in black (MH 201, scarcity 2) on cover from Rev. Damien to Mary Seeley in Danbury, Ct., with red "San Francisco, Cal., Apr 1" cds and red crayon "42" rating for the 40¢ transcontinental rate plus the ship captain's fee of 2¢, Very Fine. This cover was carried aboard the "Louisa Baille", which departed Honolulu on February 26th and arrived in San Francisco on March 25th. Then carried aboard the "Tennessee" from San Francisco to Panama on April 1st.

The auction listing also states: "Exceptional strike of the Honolulu straight line postmark in black”. Perhaps there was a second scan shown in the auction catalogue at the time... I am lost here. Someone else might be able to enlighten me, mayhap?

I cannot find a price realised but it was estimated at USD$10,000 – $15,000.

In other news, their Sescal Sale #71 featured a cover (Lot 2127) from one Father Rev. Lenore who we have already discussed before here. Yet they did not describe it as such. Perhaps this one missed the eye of the auctioneer...

Kalaupapa Cover to Father Rev. Lenore

Hawaii, (Molokai) Kalaupapa, Molokai, H.I., purple three-line postmark tying U.S. 2¢ Bureau issue on cover to Honolulu, reverse with "Honolulu, H.I., Jun 20, 1900" receiving duplex; cover with "restored" corners that were clipped for fumigation, Very Fine, an extremely rare territorial postmark usage from Kalaupapa, Molokai used less than a week after Hawaii became a territory... Because of an outbreak of the bubonic plague, fumigation was required on all mail from December of 1899 until April 30, 1900. This cover shows that fumigation took place several months more in Molokai.

That cover sold for USD$850, not including all those additional buyer's fees e.t.c. C + M must be short hand for the "Catholic Mission" in Honolulu, where Fr. Lenore Fouesnel (Fr. Damien's superior) resided. He was the vice-provincial of the mission and was played by British actor Derek Jacobi in Paul Cox's 1999 film Molokai. He had this to say about Fr. Damien:

“Good man of religion, good priest... but…sometimes indiscreet zeal leads him to say, to write, and even to do things which ecclesiastical authority can only criticize.”

Fouesnel seemed convinced that Damien was fanning the flames of publicity, writing “to the four winds” about the miserable state of the leper settlement and insinuating that the mission and the government were shirking their duties. Damien was taken aback by his superior’s disapproval as much as by the media attention given him in those later days. He believed his actions amongst the Lepers to be encouraging charity, not publicity. Indeed, only a few letters by Damien were published during his life (see above, for example). His circumstances, rather than his words, were what aroused public interest. The press presented Damien as a hero of self-sacrifice: losing first his freedom of movement, then his health, and finally his life. Still, after Damien’s death, Fouesnel was not interested in pursuing a sainthood for Damien. He argued that, after the press had labeled Damien a “hero” and “martyr of charity,” everything had been said. Bishop Gulston Ropert also observed that "even the beginnings of the process of beatification would have to wait until everyone who knew Damien well was dead.” You can read more in this account of these discussions here: https://nyamcenterforhistory.org/tag/father-leonor-fouesnel

Author Robert Louis Stevenson was to later violently oppose Fr. Damien's superiors for their sometimes negative views of the priest. I dare say that he would happily support Damien's request for the Canadian pain destroyer, and any other necessities to boot.

Of interest is that this cover features the simple strike from Kalaupapa, about fourteen months after the death of Fr. Damien. So it is not his handwriting here but no doubt someone who had worked alongside him. I wonder who?

[Global Admin]

Author Robert Louis Stevenson was to later violently oppose Fr. Damien's superiors for their sometimes negative views of the priest. I dare say that he would happily support Damien's request for the Canadian pain destroyer, and any other necessities to boot.

[Catweazle]

And there was I thinking that our Fr. Damien had a sense of humour but there really was a medicinal substance officially known by that name!

Ottawa Times 4 April, 1866

[Global Admin]

The mind boggles at what was in 'Canadian Pain Destroyer' - morphine based probably?

[Catweazle]

Well, you’d be wanting something for it. Leprosy is a terrible, chronic bacterial infection (thanks Mycobacterium leprae) that causes significant damage to the peripheral nerves, respiratory tract, skin and eyes. Symptoms include reduced sensation of the nerves, numbness and weakness in the hands or feet, changes in skin colour, swelling, skin lesions or growths, ulcers on the feet or lumps on the face and ears, swelling, poor eyesight, loss of eyebrows or eyelashes…

You can see how Fr. Damien himself was impacted by the effects of these symptoms when you compare his two (young and old) statues now situated in Kalawao’s St. Philomena’s Church (scroll up to see my previous post about this). He was a fit, young man from a farming family when he left Belgium but looks older than his age in later photographs. Compare, for example, these two photographs on the Belgian 2009 miniature sheet below:

Belgium 2009 Fr. Damien Minisheet

Although the nerve damage may result in a certain lack of ability to feel pain in those areas, these parts of a person’s extremities experience repeated injuries. In fact, limbs that have been damaged because the person cannot feel pain have sometimes had to be amputated.

Leprosy symptoms (betterhealth.vic.gov.au)

According to the World Health Organisation, the first breakthrough in managing Leprosy did not occur until 1940s with the use of dapsone. This was a good 50 years after the death of Fr. Damien. The duration of treatment lasted many years, often a lifetime, making compliance difficult. However, by the 1960s, the little bastard of a bacteria – Mycobacterium leprae – began to develop resistance to this treatment which was the only known remedy at the time.

Rifampicin and clofazimine were later discovered and subsequently added to the treatment regimen, which was later labelled as multidrug therapy (MDT). It was not until as late as 1981 that the World Health Organisation recommended MDT – almost one hundred years after Fr. Damien. The current MDT regimen today consists of a series of medicines: dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine. This multi-drug treatment lasts from six to twelve months. The aim is to kill the pathogen and, in short, cure the patient.

Madagascar 1966 stamp commemorating the World Day of Leprosy

India 1973 stamp commemorating 100 years since Dr. Hansen's discovery of the Leprosy bacteria

Norway 1973 stamp commemorating World Leprosy Day

Many nations have issued stamps commemorating Norwegian Dr. Hansen who first discovered the bacteria (hence the contemporary name of Hansen's disease), World Day of Leprosy and other similar occasions. For a short history of Leprosy (Hansen’s disease) in postage stamps, you can read this 1973 article by S.R. Wood of the Royal Infirmary, Worcester: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/003591577406700812

Wright's Indian Vegetable Pills Tin

The other medicine that Fr. Damien requests in his autographed letter above are Dr Wright's and James Pills. I suspect he refers here to Wrights Indian Vegetable pills, which were considered a cure-all remedy for all sorts of different ailments, pains or infections.

c. 1910 (?) Advertisement page currently on eBay under AUD$30 as a Buy-it-now

Wright's Indian Vegetable Pills 1889 Advertisement

Today you can buy so-called Dr. James skin whitening pills which have, according to the packaging, only been around since 1969. So presumably, my guess is that these are not what Fr. Damien is referring to.

[Global Admin]

These ''vegetable pills'' remove FRECKLES??? And cure Yellow Fever????? And smallpox???? And near every other known ailment to mankind????

They'd be sued for $100s of Millions today claiming this arrant nonsense.

[Global Admin]

Wright's Indian Vegetable Pills issued their own Scott listed STAMPS!

Chase up this one for $US12 I'd STRONGLY suggest.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/172163758403

[Catweazle]

Wow, how interesting. Now that is a whole other field of philately and postal history right there.

They come in Pint size too (albeit for a premium)...

Wrights Indian Vegetable Pills: Proof Plate Block

[Global Admin]

Be a great block to secure to add to the collection - terrific appearance!

Glen

[Catweazle]

Well I saw it somewhere for about $500. I'd better start saving!

On the subject of PUKOO postmarks, it seems that they are relatively uncommon (certainly compared to other town postmarks or postal cancellations from Molokai).

Here he goes; quoting himself again. Is that even allowed?

Lot 3255 in Schuyler J. Rumsey's recent philatelic auction (#102) featured this cover from the Gary Munson collection. It sold for what I'd suggest might be a relatively modest USD$260 before additional buyer's fees e.t.c. – if you consider what it actually is, and what I believe to be the case above. Now I can't remember what my bid was – USD$250 or USD$260? I suspect they'll bill me promptly if I was not the sad underbidder...

Hawaii, 1875, 2¢ brown. Canceled by bold negative "H" handstamp on small folded letter to postmaster Whitney in Honolulu, with letter datelined "Pukoo (Molokai) Sep 20th, 1875" and sentBy the Mille Morris to day, "Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, Sep 21" cds, Very Fine, a very rare usage from Pukoo, Molokai. Scott No. 35; Estimate $300 - 400.

Lot #3255: folded letter to postmaster Whitney in Honolulu, with letter datelined "Pukoo" 1875

Lot #3255: Inside letter from Pukoo 1875

Incidentally, one of the other Pukoo postmasters was later to be one of Meyer's sons. Although only tiny these days – even the new fire brigade has since moved – Pukoo was also an important stop for landing barges and mail steamers during the nineteenth century, as mentioned in this letter contained in a volume of Fr. Damien's letters.

Good Father Andre came here to visit me. I showed him the plan for his church in Kaluaaha, 36 x 20, and he found that it was too small. He insisted that it should be 44 feet by 22, and he is only half satisfied that I’ll be the one building it. He understands as well as I do that I don’t have the time at all and perhaps not even the ability to build it as it should be. Therefore, I insist again that you send him one or two lay brothers.

If, however, you persist in your resolve that I should build it, since I gave my consent, I do not retract my word, and resign myself if he, too, will be reconciled to the fact that he will spend a few weeks replacing me at the hospital ministry. Please order him to do so.

In this case, please send to Pukoo at the first opportunity, the materials herein indicated. Father Andre wants to have 5 windows on each side in Gothic style, the building being itself 44 feet long and 22 feet wide, 12 feet in height with bell tower, etc.

Please write to me before Easter so that I can prepare myself here before leaving for Kaluaaha, where I have to go the week after Easter to hear the confessions of Father Andre’s Christians at Kaluaaha.

Blessings, pono and pule!

And just like that, we're back on the subject of Fr. Damien. It seems he is one for having the last say in things!

[Catweazle]

So apparently there is a whole history of other weird stamps used for local or internal company mail. I have never ventured anywhere near the world of Cinderellas and don't have much intention of doing so. However, here is something of interest. It has perforations, so we might as well assume that it was a stamp of some description. No clue. No idea. Anyone care to help me out here?

Maison-atelier d'Édouard Taymans: 1904 Belgium private postage stamp

Peut–être le texte que lit « Maison Ed .Taymans » est la Maison-atelier d'Édouard Taymans. Cette maison se situe à Ixelles aux nos 6 et 6a de la rue des Champs Élysées en Belgique.

Taymans' workshop, stores, gallery, offices and place of residence

Whoops! Now we're speaking French. Why, you may well ask? Thanks to Fr. Damien we're on a visit to Belgium. The French-speaking side of Belgium, to be precise. Perhaps it is no surprise since he came from there originally, as we have seen. This "Maison-atelier" referenced on the stamp (Cinderella?) above was a workshop founded by one Edouard Taymans – a coal merchant and charcoal maker who made his fortune by marketing a new type of stove. The house was built in the Art Nouveau style in 1906 by Paul Hamesse. On the other side of a courtyard closed by a gate, a glazed gallery served as an exhibition for the sale of his heating appliances. It was built six years after the house, in 1912.

Rue des Champs Élysées 6a: Maison-atelier d'Édouard Taymans

But why, then, the 1904 on the stamp? My understanding is that the building was there before 1906 and that the Art Nouveau architect, Paul Hamesse, came along then and renovated the current residence which had originally been built sometime during the nineteenth century. Taymans requested that it be partially demolished, before being rebuilt by Hamesse, in a geometric Art Nouveau aesthetic, faithful to the work of Paul Hankar. It was later considered one of the top 100 Art Nouveau buildings in Brussels... Heck, you can even check out all the photographs here from the comfort of your armchair: https://art.nouveau.world/maison-atelier-edouard-taymans

Back to the stamp above. The French text reads: "Priere de ne pas faire suivre cette lettre et decouvrir si son destinataire n'est plus a l'adresse."

This means: "Please do not forward this letter and find out if the addressee is no longer at the address."

In other words, perhaps it was a small stamp applied to outgoing mail from Taymans' offices, not necessarily valid for postage but, rather, an addition to the envelope as an after-thought bearing a message for the postman in the event of non-delivery. Not unlike commercial mail today which often includes a note to return to sender if the item cannot be delivered.

What do you folks think? Does this sound plausible?

As for Fr. Damien; one must remember his legacy at the time, even only a few decades after his death. He was held with high regard by Hawaiians and Belgians alike because of his services and care of the sick on Molokai. The words in French "nos grands contemporains' are perhaps an affectionate comparison, in an attempt to showcase the aspiring work of Ed. Taymans the coal-man.

That said, it still doesn't solve the problem of the date: what of 1904? Perhaps Taymans moved into the building and set up his business before 1906, and thus before Hamesse commenced major renovations. I'll stand by that unless you can convince me otherwise!

But now let us make haste and return across the Seas again to Molokai, which is where this thread might have started in the first place...

[Catweazle]

Anthony Bourdain in Molokai (CNN)

In other news, chef and back-street travel enthusiast Anthony Bourdain ventured to Molokai with Walter Ritte for a locally sourced meal at Keawanui fish pond when filming in the Hawaiian islands for his television series Parts Unknown.

You can view the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Y8ZYeaS-Q

Hawaii is America, as American as anything could possibly be, yet it also never shed what was there before in the layers and layers that have come since... The place where I was happiest in Hawaii was the place everybody (native Hawaiians included) insisted that I would probably be least happy – or least welcome: Moloka'i.

Those proud, tough, obstinate, mother******* (and I mean that in the most admiring sense I could possibly use that word) are exactly the kind of people we need to save us all from the worst of "progress."

We need people like that in post-Bloomberg New York...

In short, Paradise.

I was treated with enormous kindness and generosity everywhere I went – nowhere more so than Moloka'i. My ignorance and naive preconceptions tolerated with patience and good grace. This is one haole who feels very, very honored and grateful for the many kindnesses shown me.

It is interesting to note that Bourdain ends his commentary – all of which is no less than praise for this island and its people – with the simple statement: "Bottom line: don't come here".

In doing so, he considers the local population and their fear of the pressure to 'modernise' according to the expectations of the contemporary tourism industry. The decline of the Sheraton and the lack of other large international hotel chains is a witness to this, without which the island is perhaps sustainable as a friendly yet more authentic, genuine and original self compared to the likes other Hawaiian islands like Maui or Oahu.

[Catweazle]

1943 Censored Cover (APO 965 Kuanakakai, Molokai)

Now here's something different: a WWII army postal stationary cover from the 136th Infantry. It was sent on 13 September, 1943, from Andrew Rzeznik to Russell Painter of Detroit, MI.

While the rest of the world was fighting a global war, airfield constructions and upgrades on the smaller Hawaiian islands were begun in June 1940 by the Works Progress Administration in accordance with priorities established by the Army. A year later the War Department approved new construction that would allow the operation of heavy bombers from two fields on Kauai and three on Hawaii and would permit pursuit planes to operate from fields on Molokai and Lanai.

When General Marshall and his colleagues met in Washington on the morning of 8 December 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbour, their greatest immediate concern was to discover ways and means of putting the Hawaiian garrison back on its feet. They agreed that the Hawaiian Air Force must be reconstituted as soon as possible, and General Marshall directed the Army Air Forces to give highest priority to the movement of enough planes to Hawaii to build up Army air strength there to one full group of heavy bombardment and two full groups of pursuit.

In May 1941 General Short detached the 299th Infantry Regiment from the Hawaiian Division and sent one battalion to Hawaii, another to Kauai, and divided a third between Maui and Molokai. These detachments and other Army forces sent to the outer islands were put under the local command of military districts (of Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai) which in turn reported directly to the commander of the Hawaiian Department. Trained combat troops on the outer islands numbered about 1,300 at the beginning of December 1941.

Thus, there were a number of different Army Post Offices situated on and around the Hawaiian Islands at the time. Apparently A.P.O. 965 was stationed at Kaunakakai on Molokai. Not far away is the airport (near Hoolehua) used today by Mokulele Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and other private charter companies. However, in the early 1940s, it was known then as "Homestead Field". By May 1944, the airfield had two intersecting runways. As a joint civilian–military airport, it was used by the U.S. Navy (USN), U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) as well as the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF).

Homestead Field (Molokai Airport) with C-54 parked on the runway (May 24, 1948)

Belgique 2010 Père Damien (Non-adopted Project)

This appears to be an unadopted project (essay?), issued in 2010 by the C.P.B.N.T.P. from the Belgian C.O.B. stamp catalogue. If anyone has a copy of this reference, I would appreciate knowing what the catalogue number is...

In any case, it seems that it could have been a possible alternative to the original 2009 Belgian stamp shown below. Perhaps the older face of Fr. Damien is more recognisable, having already been used for countless images, prayer cards and postcards throughout the last century.

Well since we're back on the topic of Fr. Damian here, the 2009 Belgian stamp was also issued as a minisheet. It was released to commemorate Fr. Damian's canonisation...

This issue included a limited edition souvenir cover to commemorate his canonisation. No idea how many were issued, but the stamp on the front is postmarked near his place of birth in Tremelo 3120. You'll notice the Dutch Pater Damiaan rather than the French-language Père Damien. Oh, the joys of a country that boasts two official languages!

The reverse features a special postmark from the Vatican, dated the day of his canonisation. I received one the other day from a sender in Japan, of all places, who just happened to be selling some Belgian Post stuff amongst other random listings.

2009 Fr. Damien Canonisation First Day Cover

He was described by the Vatican no less than "a witness and servant... doctor who cared for the both body and soul... a builder of the community... Man of the Eucharist... an Apostle of the 'Lepers'... Voice of the voiceless... [and] a Herald of Hope." You can even read Benedict XVI's homily from Sunday, 11 October 2009 here, if you're interested: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/homilies/2009 ... zioni.html

In fact, even in New York, the stretch of 33rd street between First and Second Avenues in Manhattan was co-named "Father Damien Way" in 2015. Google Earth is yet to update this, but the then President Barack Obama declared: "Following in the steps of Jesus' ministry to the lepers, Fr. Damien challenged the stigmatizing effects of disease, giving voice to the voiceless and ultimately sacrificing his own life to bring dignity to so many."

Fr Damien Way (New York)

So yeah, I think he is pretty famous by now!

[Catweazle]

Samoa 7d 1939 Robert Louis Stevenson (block of 4)

Father Damien suffered from leprosy himself, and died in 1889. Despite Fr. Fouesnel's or the bishop's criticisms – which were eloquently argued against by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson in a letter published shortly after his visit to Honolulu and Kalawao in 1890 – Damien was later canonised in 2009 by Benedict XVI and is now considered a saint in the Catholic church.

Off topic: Stevenson's letter is available in full online via Project Gutenberg and is well worth a read if you are interested in this subject: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/281/281-h/281-h.htm

Or, rather, maybe not so ‘off topic’ after all. R.L. Stevenson sent his Open Letter to the Rev. Dr. Charles McEwen Hyde. In October 1889, a private letter from Hyde addressed to Reverend H.B. Gage was published without his permission in an Australian newspaper called The Presbyterian. This letter publicly criticised Fr. Damien’s work on Molokai. Here it is, for your eyes only

Attn: Rev. H. B. GAGE.
Dear Brother,
In answer to your inquires about Father Damien, I can only reply that we who knew the man are surprised at the extravagant newspaper laudations, as if he was a most saintly philanthropist.  The simple truth is, he was a coarse, dirty man, headstrong and bigoted.  He was not sent to Molokai, but went there without orders; did not stay at the leper settlement (before he became one himself), but circulated freely over the whole island (less than half the island is devoted to the lepers), and he came often to Honolulu.  He had no hand in the reforms and improvements inaugurated, which were the work of our Board of Health, as occasion required and means were provided.  He was not a pure man in his relations with women, and the leprosy of which he died should be attributed to his vices and carelessness.  Other have done much for the lepers, our own ministers, the government physicians, and so forth, but never with the Catholic idea of meriting eternal life.—Yours, etc.,
C. M. Hyde

Upon reading this during his stay in Sydney (yep – he’s been everywhere, man; he’s been everywhere!) Stevenson was outraged. He considered this a long way from the truth, since he perceived Fr. Damien’s work as that of a holy, selfless man despite the character flaws that Hyde so dwells upon.

To do this properly, I must begin by quoting you at large: I shall then proceed to criticise your utterance from several points of view, divine and human, in the course of which I shall attempt to draw again, and with more specification, the character of the dead saint whom it has pleased you to vilify: so much being done, I shall say farewell to you for ever.

In some parts of his publication, Stevenson appears to counter Hyde’s arguments by attacking the author, suggesting that he and other religious men in Honolulu lived lives of luxury that vastly contrasted their preaching on the idea of philanthropy, humbleness and unconditional self-sacrifice. Interestingly, Stevenson correctly predicted the future with his words “… if that world at all remember you, on the day when Father Damien of Molokai shall be named Saint, it will be in virtue of one work: your letter to Reverend H.B. Gage.” Stevenson concludes by arguing that Fr. Damien should symbolise a father figure for all of mankind and chastises Hyde for missing what, for Stevenson, was the crucial point: “…and he was your father too, if God had given you the grace to see it” (p. 31).

Since then, one Leonard Doughty published in 1928 a satirical, fictional reply to Stevenson. You can read it here, if you’re keen: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43465882

But, who was this Charles McEwen Hyde (1832 – 1899)? Born in New York, Hyde's maternal grandfather was of Scottish descent. He spoke both Greek and Latin, and was enrolled in Williams College at the ripe, young age of 16. He later enrolled at Union Theological Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary, before being ordained as a Protestant minister in August, 1862. He first call was to a church in Massachsetts but, a few years later, the American Board of Comissioners for Foreign Missions sent Hyde and his wife to Honolulu.

According to the article on Wikipedia, Hyde immediately organised the North Pacific Missionary Institute. He quickly picked up the Hawaiian language in order to converse with the indigenous population, and began delivering his sermons in Hawaiian. Hyde and his wife tried to encourage work ethics into the Hawaiian males, and teach housekeeping skills to the women. They also opened their home to the local population and often provided monetary assistance to those in need. He helped provide smallpox vaccinations for the local population. For the Hawaiian men who wanted to serve as Christian ministers, Hyde became a mentor. He later became president of the Board of Trustees of the Kawaiahaʻo Female Seminary, which helped train women who were interested in becoming wives of Christian ministers. He was also president of Punahou School in Honolulu. When Bernice Pauahi Bishop wrote her will on October 31, 1883, she named Hyde as one of the original five trustees of her estate.

This cover below was sent from Kohala (on the big island) to C.M. Hyde (on Oahu) on October 18, 1892 (about two years after the publication of the aforementioned letter). Interestingly, before his work on Molokai, Fr. Damian spent about seven years as a missionary near Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii. He established many churches there, but only a few survive today.

1892 Kohala Cover to C.M. Hyde

A few months later, on the evening of December 28, the Hawaiian Historical Society was formed, with Hyde as the first secretary. He published a request for newspapers published in the Hawaiian language, asking for people to donate or sell them to the Society. You can read the society’s first annual report here, if that’s your cup of tea: https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10524/86/AR01.pdf?sequence=1

Hawaiian Historical Society: Request for Archives

It seems, however, that Stevenson was not the only one to criticise Hyde’s take on Fr. Damien. In the 1898 publication Hawaii’s Story, Liliuokalani, Queen of Hawaii, refers to “Hyde’s prejudices against the native people of the Hawaiian Islands and against their queen. That clergyman's propensity to speak evil of his neighbour may be recalled by those who read his remarks about the late lamented Father Damien.”

This is the same Queen Liliuokalani who claimed that she “would undertake anything for the benefit of [her] people” and, indeed, she did when she visited the leper colony at Kalaupapa in September, 1881(?) This features as an important scene in the 1999 film Molokai. She showed her aloha for the lepers by taking gifts of cloth, food, pictures and feathers to them. Seeing their misery and suffering, she decided to send medicines, book, music and furniture to the colony when she returned to Honolulu. She made Fr. Damien a Knight Commander of the Royal Order. Liliuokalani was played by Kate Ceberano in the film.

She is pictured here on the pair of 1891 2¢ Hawaiian Postage stamps (Scott #52), similar to the other Royalty issues during the 1800s. This is another cover sent to Meyer at the Kalae plantation on Molokai. Note that many topical collectors love this particular stamp because it was the first issue anywhere in the world to feature a butterfly. In the portrait shown on the stamp, the queen is wearing a butterfly brooch in her hair.

1891 2¢ Liliuokalani with World's First Butterfly (pair on Molokai cover)

[Catweazle]

Pg. 3 of handwritten letter by Fr. Damien (2021 Papal Artifacts.com)

Here we have the third and final page of a letter handwritten in Fr. Damien's own cursive hand. Note the autograph at the bottom that reads "J. Damien Deveuster".

According to PapalArtifacts.com – a collection curated and maintained by Fr. Richard Kunst – this letter was written to Edward Clifford, an accomplished British artist who visited Damien in December 1888 and drew several sketches of the Fr. Damien in his later years. The letter concerns the Stations of the Cross that were being given to the Catholic church on Molokai where Damien lived at the leper colony established there.

On your arrival in Honolulu, you will first make acquaintance with the members of the Board of Health. And by gaining their Confidence you will easily obtain permission to come and pass here a few weeks. You do not need to hire a schooner in which to make your home. A special home for receiving visitors will be willingly put at your disposal and you will find our new doctor, Dr. Swift, a good-hearted Irishman!! When you write to our friend Chapman, please give him my thanks for his kindness towards me. Our workmen are now covering in our church. The Stations of the Cross will be received with many thanks. If you bring any value with you for the church, please deposit it at Bishopham to my credit or if I am no more on this world, at the Catholic Mission in Honolulu…with the hope of our soon meeting here, J. Damien Deveuster.

Of interest here is that Thomas Madigan, who claims he had owned the only two known letters by Fr. Damien, writes:

Without doubt Damien wrote few letters and it is not unlikely that many of those which come from his pen during the leper colony days were destroyed by the recipient.

This leaves us to question whether this letter and the one pictured above from earlier in the thread are the two letters to which he is here referring. However, since he died quite young at the age of 45 in 1936, I wonder if other autographs or letters have since come to light.

Edward Clifford, the recipient of this letter, is the same artist – I believe – whose sketches have been reproduced for several stamp issues including the 1989 Brazil blocks pictured above and the 1964 World Leprosy set from Belgium.

Section of 'Damien in December 1888' as painted by Edward Clifford - reprinted as maxicard

Belgium 1964 'World Day of Leprosy' set of 3 stamps (1989 100 Yr Anniversary miniature sheet)

Belgium 1964 'World Leprosy Day' information pack with stamps

[Catweazle]

Calling all handwriting experts!

However, that's not the first of goodies advertised by Schuyler J. Rumsey Philatelic Auctions over the years. It seems that they have had a fine assortment of Molokian postal history cross their paths. For example, in 2016, they auctioned off an autographed letter by Fr. Damien himself that sold for USD$12,500 plus the usual buyer's premiums, postage e.t.c.

Sale 65 Lot 507: Father Joseph De Veuster Damien, Autograph Letter Signed "J Damien" and reading in full "Dr. Emerson, Dear Sir, If you perhaps go to day at Honolulu I take the liberty for asking you to send me a good provision of Dr. Wrights and James pills - Canadian pain destroyer - and castor oil for the lepers in my neighborhood. With my aloha nui to his Exc. S. G. Wilder, Yours Truly, J. Damien cath pr.", and postscript "Feb. 7, 1879, The above request of Pere J. Damien is approved of and respectfully conferred to S.G. Wilder Minister Dept. of Interior, N.B. Emerson, Med. Spt. L.A., Kawawao, Molokai", Very Fine.

What I find quite the curiosity is this cover from Sale 85 (Lot 2157).

Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaiian Is., Feb. 26, 1851, exquisite sharp bold strike of two-line date stamp in black (MH 201, scarcity 2) on cover from Rev. Damien to Mary Seeley in Danbury, Ct., with red "San Francisco, Cal., Apr 1" cds and red crayon "42" rating for the 40¢ transcontinental rate plus the ship captain's fee of 2¢, Very Fine. This cover was carried aboard the "Louisa Baille", which departed Honolulu on February 26th and arrived in San Francisco on March 25th. Then carried aboard the "Tennessee" from San Francisco to Panama on April 1st.

There is a distinct Rev. J.C. Damien scrawled in the bottom left corner, but Damien's full name was Joseph Damien. Not sure what the 'C' is – unless it is an 'S.C.' ...Sacré Cœurs? Or in Latin: Congregatio Sacrorum Cordium Iesu et Mariæ necnon adorationis perpetuæ Ss. Sacramenti altaris; apparently abbreviated SS.CC. After all, he was a member of the missionary institute known as the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Perhaps he could have mailed this cover from San Francisco on his way to Hawaii – but the problem is the date. In 1851, he wasn't yet even a priest. He didn't begin his priestly studies until 1858, and only left for the Hawaiian islands in 1863. So, what's the story here, Rumsey?

Here we have the third and final page of a letter handwritten in Fr. Damien's own cursive hand. Note the autograph at the bottom that reads "J. Damien Deveuster".

Two letters are pictured above – note the difference in Fr. Damien's handwriting between the first and last letter; the latter was written when he was already experiencing the full effects of leprosy and was not able to pen words in quite the same cursive style as he did in his earlier years.

The third letter (Lot #2157) pictured there too still has me stumped – perhaps Rumsey Auctions has the date wrong there? I have not seen the letter inside, so cannot say if there are further markings.

Now, David Feldman is due to auction this item below on December 5th, 2022 (with an estimate of €240 + 22% buyer's premium). The recipient – Rev. F Modeste – was, alongside Father Fousnel and Bishop Maigret, one of Fr. Damien's superiors who visited him in Hilo prior to his arrival on Molokai.

Feldman Autumn Auction Lot #30687: Part envelope sent to Rev. Modeste

Lot 30687: 1861-63 2c pale rose on vertically laid paper, mixed margins, tied by pen cross to part envelope sent to Revd. F Modeste at the Catholic Mission [ in Honolulu ], faults, still scarce; cert. Behr (2017)

What are your thoughts on the handwriting here? Is it Fr. Damien's?

I feel like it is familiar – for sure, it rings a bell – but from where alas, I cannot tell!

[Catweazle]

Speaking of Fr. Modeste Favens; he is the recipient of this cover apparently dated around 1863 not long before Fr. Damien's arrival in Honolulu (prior to his ventures on the Big Island and on Molokai) – that's assuming it was not sent in 1864. Same handwriting as the one in the previous post, perhaps?

1863 2c Carmine Rose on cover to Fr. Modeste (one of Fr. Damien's superiors at the HNL Catholic Mission)

As you can see, it's in much better condition. Indeed, it was described by Siegel Auctions in their 1995 Sale No. 769 as "one of the finest known examples" of the 1863 2c Carmine Rose, vertically Laid (28a) on cover.

Mostly huge margins including right and bottom sheet margins, just touched at top left, tied by black square grid on large part of folded cover to the Catholic Mission in Honolulu, bottom and left side flaps removed and slightly reduced at bottom, Fine, very rare on cover, one of the finest known examples.

With an estimate of USD$2500, it realised rather shy of that at USD$1600. However, that was almost thirty years ago! Hawaii is rather hot lately, and I wouldn't be surprised if it would today be auctioned for a higher sum.

Fun fact: the first parish church in Waikiki was a temporary chapel built under the direction of Fr. Modeste. In 1838 the Mission Province of America and Oceania was established and, in 1868, the Hawaiian Islands became an independent mission Province with Fr. Modeste as the first Provincial Superior. He belonged to the same order as Fr. Damien (S.S. C.C.) and was an advocate of the early vision of the order's founders.

In fact, it was Fr. Modeste who considered Fr. Damien to be fighting fit, "a strong man", who would be able to serve as missionary at Kohala and Hamakua, where he was stationed during his first years prior to Molokai.

Fr. Modeste Favens

As Patricica M. Alvarez notes in her discussion on Hawaii's Cthaolic Schools (1840 – 1941), he was known to have cautioned patience and realism, telling fellow priests not to expect miracles from the mission's limited resources and personnel. In 1872, the mission had twenty three priests who spread their labor thinly over sixty-four churches and chapels in the islands. "We have to be content with the means we have," Favens wrote in a letter to the Superior General in 1872. "God doesn't ask any more from us."

I wonder if his mirrors Fr. Damien's – and Robert Louis Steven's – humble views which at times seemed to clash with other superiors stationed at the Catholic Mission in Honolulu (Fousnel, for example).

Below are some surviving excerpts of 1874 correspondence between Fr. Damien and Fr. Modeste.

Fr. Damien to his superior, Fr. Modeste Favens (19 April 1874 from Kaluaaha)

Fr. Damien to his superior, Fr. Modeste Favens (14 June 1874 from Kaluaaha)

Father Damien to his superior, Father Modeste Favens (28 December 1874 from Kalawao)

For some reason I've stumbled into a philatelic niche which just so happens to be for collectors with larger than life pockets! Uhoh! Perhaps I should have stuck with pre–decimal blocks and Chatham Islands postal history which seem comparatively cheap!

1859 Hawaii 2c Dark Blue (Grayish White) on cover addressed to Fr. Modeste

1859, 2c Dark Blue, Grayish White (13a). Plate 3-B, Type VIII, Position 8, large margins all around, dark shade, tied by bold and slightly double strike of brownish-black "COLLECTOR'S OFFICE/HILO, HAWAII" in oval (Ty. 211, Scarcity 2) on large part of small folded letter to Father Modeste at the Catholic Mission in Honolulu, part of back intact

EXTREMELY FINE AND RARE EXAMPLE OF THE 1859 2-CENT BLUE NUMERAL TIED BY THE HILO "COLLECTORS OFFICE" OVAL.

Ex Caspary. Scott value for No. 13a on cover is $11,500.00

The cover above sold at auction in 2007 for USD$10,500 excluding buyer's fees, insurance, postage, packaging e.t.c.

[Catweazle]

Lot #1086: Hawaii, Manufacturers' Shoe Co., Wholesale and Retail Dealers In, Books & Shoes, ornate advertising corner card on 1895 cover bearing 2¢ brown (75) tied by "Honolulu, H.I. Dec 16, 1895" duplex to Kalai, Molokai, cover reduced at left, otherwise Very Fine, ex-Bleuler.

Manufacturers' Shoe Co. on 1895 Cover to Otto Meyer on Molokai

This small cover from a shoe manufacturer's company – and addressed to Meyer's oldest son Otto near Kalae on Molokai – was expected to get about $150 in a recent Rumsey auction.

Instead, it sold for almost USD$620 including the 18% buyer's fees!

I wonder if this is partly due to its aesthetic appeal, or simply because Hawaii is red-hot these days.

Note that this is a different Otto to the Otto Meyer interviewed in this 1998 clip about life on Molokai during the 1940s: https://voices.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-01/Meyer_Otto.pdf. The recipient of this cover is was born in 1854 and died in 1931, however his wife, Margaret Ann “Maggie” McCorriston, lived on until 1963.

Otto Meyer took over his father's business after the death of Ruldoph Meyer in 1897.