Point 13

Aloha, this is Maya Sahut-Henry from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School’s Advanced Media Production class. Welcome to point 13, in the Lihue Loop Audio Tour, the Paul Isenburg Monument. Depending on what side you're coming from, the monument may be on your right or left of you, located on the grass on the side of the Bank of Hawaii.
Paul Isenberg grew up in Germany as an apprentice and later manager of a farm. He was recruited to Hawaii because of his knowledge of European farming practices. He arrived here after a 186 day voyage only to find life here was not what he expected. He was not happy until William Harrison Rice gave him a job at Lihue Plantation.

Paul flourished at the plantation and his belief in sugar’s future in Hawaii turned Lihue Plantation into one of the largest and most successful operations in Hawaii. Isenberg married Rice’s oldest child Maria during the time and had two children with her.
Paul also invested in other enterprises like the Koloa and Kekaha Plantation with others. He later invested in a partnership with H. Hackfeld & Company, and Benjamin Dillingham’s O’ahu railroad company.

For the next 25 years, Paul traveled back and forth between Hawaii and Germany to fulfill his business duties and responsibilities in the House of Nobles, where King Lunalilo had appointed him in 1872. Paul is also known for setting up a charity fund in Lihue for “all laborers, including Chinese and Japanese who have grown old in the service of the plantation.” He also donated funds to establish a Lutheran church on Oahu.
Here is Pat Griffin, a local historian, who will share a little more about Paul and his monument.

German-born Paul Isenburg shaped Lihue Plantation into one of the largest, most innovative plantations in Hawaii. After he died of a ruptured appendix in 1903, the community built this memorial to him here at the corner of Lihue Village in a spot then known as the crossroads of the island. A thousand mourners both native-born and foreign attended the monument’s dedication to this giant of 19th century in industrial Hawaii.

Thank you, Pat! Have you wondered why it's in such an odd place, next to a bank and the corner of the old mill road? That’s because before Lihue town there was only the Lihue Mill, which was at the time the heart of Lihue. That Mill Road connected with the original path of Kuhio Highway which went straight through what we know now is the Lihue Civic Center. Since Paul had such a big impact on the Lihue Plantation, it was clear that where you're looking at now was the best place to put the monument.
Thank you for listening to point 13, the Isenberg Monument! Enjoy the rest of the Lihue Loop Audio tour!