Afong Villa - Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 21° 16.700 W 157° 50.034
4Q E 620971 N 2353398
This marker 14 along the historic Waikiki Trail. It is at the former site of the luxurious villa of Hawaii's first Chinese Millionaire, Chun Afong, later sold to become Battery Randolph in 1911, now home to the U.S. Army Hawaii Museum.
Waymark Code: WMDT0W
Location: Hawaii, United States
Date Posted: 02/21/2012
Views: 13
Now this site is a museum where the building itself is part of the artifacts on display. This massive battery of reinforced concrete was built in 1911 to defend the island, but the 14-inch guns, capable of reaching out 14 miles, were never used militarily.
This building, overlooking Waikiki beach, now houses a vast array of displays and artifacts tracing the military history of the Hawaii from ancient times up through the Vietnam War. It is located within the grounds of Ft. DeRussy and is open to the public free of charge.
This privately place historical marker on the beach front gives further accounts of this location. TEXT:
Afong Villa
Chun Afong, the "Merchant Prince of the Sandalwood Mountains."
sponsored many gala events at his Waikiki beach villa.
Waikiki Historic Trail
On this site stood the villa of Chun Afong, Hawai'i's first Chinese millionaire, who arrived in Honolulu in 1849. By 1855, he had made his fortune in retailing, real estate, sugar and rice, and for a long time held the government monopoly opium license. Chun Afong was a member of King Kalakaua's privy council, and married Julia Fayerweather, a descendent of Hawaiian royalty, with whom he had 16 children, 13 of whom were daughters. He was the inspiration of Jack London's famous story, "Chun Ah Chun." His Waikiki villa occupied three acres of landscaped grounds. Here he gave grand parties for royalty, diplomats, military officers and other dignitaries.
In 1904 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers purchased the property for $28,000 to make way for the construction of Battery Randolph and the no-longer-extant Battery Dudley to defend Honolulu from foreign attack. The battery consisted of two 14-inch guns capable of firing a 1,500 pound projectile over a range of 14 miles. It was constructed with reinforced concrete walls and a roof up to 12 feet thick. In 1969, the Army attempted to demolish Battery Randolph, but it resisted all efforts of the wrecking ball. The use of dynamite was rejected as too dangerous. One of the last important military fortifications of its time, Battery Randolph was dedicated on Dec. 7, 1976 as the home of the
U.S. Army Museum of Hawai'i.
This marker sponsored by the Vision Team of Kapahulu, Diamond Head and Waikiki
Photos: Bishop Museum
Completed in 1911, Battery Randolph's guns were
built to defend Honolulu Harbor from attack |
Coastal Artillery Units fired practice rounds at
Ft.DeRussy, but its guns were never used in actual
defense of O'ahu. Photo ca. 1915. |