Russian Fort Elizabeth
Encyclopedia
Russian Fort Elizabeth is a fort on the island of Kauai
in Hawaii
. It was the last remaining Russia
n fort on the Hawaiian islands
, built in the early 19th century by the Russian-American Company
as the result of an alliance with High Chief Kaumualii
to gain influence in Hawaii. The fort site is a National Historic Landmark
and is administered as the Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park just southwest of present day Waimea
.
In 1815, German
physician Georg Anton Schäffer
, an agent of the Russian-American Company
, arrived in Hawaii
to retrieve goods seized by Kaumualii
, chief of Kauai
island. According to the Company instructions, Schäffer had to begin by establishing friendly relations with king Kamehameha I
who had created a kingdom
incorporating all the islands of Hawaii and faced opposition from rebellious Kaumualii. Then, with or without Kamehameha's support, Schäffer had to recover the cost of lost merchandise from Kaumualii.
Schäffer's medical expertise gained Kamehameha's respect but he denied the Russians any assistance against Kaumualii. Schäffer received reinforcement of two company ships and sailed to Kauai on his own. To his surprise, Kaumualii eagerly signed a "treaty" granting Russian Tsar
Alexander I of Russia
protectorate
over Kauai. Kaumualii convinced Schäffer that the Russians could just as easily capture the whole archipelago. Schäffer promised that Tsar Alexander would help him to break free of Kamehameha's rule. Officially, Kaumualii had pledged allegiance to Kamehameha in 1810. Kaumualii probably never intended to give up power over the island; he thought he might reclaim his own kingdom with the help of Russia.
Kaumualii allowed Schäffer to build a fort near Waimea and two others near Hanalei
on Kauai. Also known as Paulaula o Hipo, Fort Elisabeth, or Fort Elizabeth, it was constructed in 1817 on the east bank of the Waimea River overlooking Waimea Bay. Schäffer named it in honor of the Empress of Russia at the time, Elizabeth Alexeievna (Louise of Baden). This fort was built in the shape of an irregular octagon, about 300 feet (91.4 m) to 450 feet (137.2 m) across, with walls 20 feet (6.1 m) high. It housed a small Russian Orthodox
chapel, Hawaii's first Orthodox Christian
church. Fort Alexander built on Hanalei Bay
also housed a small Orthodox chapel. When it was discovered that Schäffer did not have the backing of the Tsar, he was forced to leave Kauai in the fall of 1817. Captain Captain Alexander Adams
replaced the Russian flag with the new Kingdom of Hawaii flag some time before October 1817. Russian Fort Elizabeth eventually came under the control of Kamehameha supporters.
In 1820, the guns fired in salute as Kaumualii's son, Prince George "Prince" Kaumualii
(also known as Humehume) arrived on the ship Thaddeus, after guiding American missionaries back to his home. Humehume tried to stage a rebellion
in 1824 by attacking the fort. It was used as a base to capture him and keep the kingdom unified. It was abandoned in 1853.
tasked Kauai pioneer Valdemar Knudsen
with the removal of armaments from the fort. Similar work was being done in that era across the kingdom with other forts being dismantled at Kailua-Kona, Lāhainā and along the waterfront at the old port of Honolulu. In a letter sent to Honolulu, Knudsen listed an inventory of the guns at the fort following a survey made in 1862. They included 60 flintlock
muskets, 16 sword
s, 12 18-pound cannon
, 26 4- and 6-pound cannon
, 6 heavy guns and 24 little guns.
Following the decommissioning of the fort in 1864, while Knudsen was loading armaments and munitions for sale as scrap metal onto a schooner
in Waimea Bay, one or two cannons fell into the murky waters of Waimea Bay.
and chair of its Anthropology
Department, and has led archaeological
field surveys of the Russian Fort area.
. A small parking lot is south of the Hawaii Route 50
bridge, known as Kaumualii Highway in honor of the last king. Facilities at the park include an interpretive walking path, and restrooms. A brochure with details of the site is available for a self-guided interpretive tour. Visitors to this site can enjoy exploring the remains of the fort, viewing scenery, photography and historical interpretation.
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. It was the last remaining Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n fort on the Hawaiian islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, built in the early 19th century by the Russian-American Company
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the so-called Shelekhov-Golikov Company of Grigory Shelekhov and Ivan Larionovich Golikov The Russian-American Company (officially: Under His Imperial Majesty's Highest Protection (patronage)...
as the result of an alliance with High Chief Kaumualii
Kaumualii
Kaumualii was the last independent Alii Aimoku of Kauai and Niihau before becoming a vassal of Kamehameha I of the unified Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810...
to gain influence in Hawaii. The fort site is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
and is administered as the Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park just southwest of present day Waimea
Waimea, Kauai County, Hawaii
Waimea is a census-designated place in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 1,787 at the 2000 census...
.
History
In 1815, German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
physician Georg Anton Schäffer
Georg Anton Schäffer
Georg Anton Schäffer was a German physician in the employ of the Russian-American Company who attempted to conquer Hawaii for the Company and, ultimately, the Russian Empire...
, an agent of the Russian-American Company
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the so-called Shelekhov-Golikov Company of Grigory Shelekhov and Ivan Larionovich Golikov The Russian-American Company (officially: Under His Imperial Majesty's Highest Protection (patronage)...
, arrived in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
to retrieve goods seized by Kaumualii
Kaumualii
Kaumualii was the last independent Alii Aimoku of Kauai and Niihau before becoming a vassal of Kamehameha I of the unified Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810...
, chief of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
island. According to the Company instructions, Schäffer had to begin by establishing friendly relations with king Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
who had created a kingdom
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
incorporating all the islands of Hawaii and faced opposition from rebellious Kaumualii. Then, with or without Kamehameha's support, Schäffer had to recover the cost of lost merchandise from Kaumualii.
Schäffer's medical expertise gained Kamehameha's respect but he denied the Russians any assistance against Kaumualii. Schäffer received reinforcement of two company ships and sailed to Kauai on his own. To his surprise, Kaumualii eagerly signed a "treaty" granting Russian Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
over Kauai. Kaumualii convinced Schäffer that the Russians could just as easily capture the whole archipelago. Schäffer promised that Tsar Alexander would help him to break free of Kamehameha's rule. Officially, Kaumualii had pledged allegiance to Kamehameha in 1810. Kaumualii probably never intended to give up power over the island; he thought he might reclaim his own kingdom with the help of Russia.
Kaumualii allowed Schäffer to build a fort near Waimea and two others near Hanalei
Hanalei, Hawaii
Hanalei is a census-designated place in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 478 at the 2000 census. Hanalei means "lei making" in Hawaiian...
on Kauai. Also known as Paulaula o Hipo, Fort Elisabeth, or Fort Elizabeth, it was constructed in 1817 on the east bank of the Waimea River overlooking Waimea Bay. Schäffer named it in honor of the Empress of Russia at the time, Elizabeth Alexeievna (Louise of Baden). This fort was built in the shape of an irregular octagon, about 300 feet (91.4 m) to 450 feet (137.2 m) across, with walls 20 feet (6.1 m) high. It housed a small Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
chapel, Hawaii's first Orthodox Christian
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
church. Fort Alexander built on Hanalei Bay
Hanalei Bay
Hanalei Bay is the largest bay on the north shore of Kauai island in Hawaii. The town of Hanalei is at the mid-point of the bay.Hanalei Bay consists of nearly two miles of beach, surrounded by mountains. In the summer, the bay offers excellent mooring for sailboats, stand up paddle boarding and...
also housed a small Orthodox chapel. When it was discovered that Schäffer did not have the backing of the Tsar, he was forced to leave Kauai in the fall of 1817. Captain Captain Alexander Adams
Alexander Adams (Hawaii)
Captain Alexander Adams was a Scotsman who served in the British Royal Navy and then came to the Hawaiian islands and served in the navy of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Known to the Hawaiians as Alika Napunako Adams, he claimed to have originated the Flag of Hawaii.-Britain:Adams was born December 27,...
replaced the Russian flag with the new Kingdom of Hawaii flag some time before October 1817. Russian Fort Elizabeth eventually came under the control of Kamehameha supporters.
In 1820, the guns fired in salute as Kaumualii's son, Prince George "Prince" Kaumualii
Humehume
Humehume , known by many different names during his time, such as George Prince, George Prince Kaumualii, Tamoree or Kumoree by American writers, was a son of the king of part of the Hawaiian Islands. He traveled widely, served in the U.S...
(also known as Humehume) arrived on the ship Thaddeus, after guiding American missionaries back to his home. Humehume tried to stage a rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
in 1824 by attacking the fort. It was used as a base to capture him and keep the kingdom unified. It was abandoned in 1853.
Dismantling
The Kingdom of HawaiiKingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
tasked Kauai pioneer Valdemar Knudsen
Valdemar Knudsen
Valdemar Emil Knudsen was a sugar cane plantation pioneer on west Kauai, Hawaii.-Background:Valdemar Emil Knudsen was born in Kristiansand, in Vest-Agder county, Norway. He was college-trained in botany and science in Copenhagen. Knudsen was successful both as a publisher in New York City and as a...
with the removal of armaments from the fort. Similar work was being done in that era across the kingdom with other forts being dismantled at Kailua-Kona, Lāhainā and along the waterfront at the old port of Honolulu. In a letter sent to Honolulu, Knudsen listed an inventory of the guns at the fort following a survey made in 1862. They included 60 flintlock
Flintlock
Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The term may also apply to the mechanism itself. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the doglock, matchlock and wheellock...
muskets, 16 sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s, 12 18-pound cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
, 26 4- and 6-pound cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
, 6 heavy guns and 24 little guns.
Following the decommissioning of the fort in 1864, while Knudsen was loading armaments and munitions for sale as scrap metal onto a schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
in Waimea Bay, one or two cannons fell into the murky waters of Waimea Bay.
Research
Details of the dismantling of the fort appear in Peter Mills' book Hawaii's Russian Adventure - A New Look at Old History, published in 2002. Mills is an Associate Professor at the University of Hawaii at HiloUniversity of Hawaii at Hilo
The University of Hawaii at Hilo, UHH, or UH Hilo is one of the ten branches of the University of Hawaii system anchored by the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii...
and chair of its Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
Department, and has led archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
field surveys of the Russian Fort area.
Access
The fort is located at coordinates 21°57′6"N 159°39′51"W, on the southeastern shore of the mouth of the Waimea River in Waimea, Kauai County, HawaiiWaimea, Kauai County, Hawaii
Waimea is a census-designated place in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 1,787 at the 2000 census...
. A small parking lot is south of the Hawaii Route 50
Hawaii Route 50
Route 50 is a road that stretches from Route 56 at the junction of Rice Street in Lihue to a point approximately 1/5 mile north of the northernmost entrance of the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the western shore of Kauai. It is the longest numbered road on the island of Kauai is named...
bridge, known as Kaumualii Highway in honor of the last king. Facilities at the park include an interpretive walking path, and restrooms. A brochure with details of the site is available for a self-guided interpretive tour. Visitors to this site can enjoy exploring the remains of the fort, viewing scenery, photography and historical interpretation.