History & Staff

Founded in 1844, Oahu Cemetery is Hawaii’s oldest public cemetery. The site originally named Nuuanu Cemetery, and was established at the height of the whaling era to meet the need for a public burial ground for Honolulu’s rapidly growing foreign population. On any given day, nearby Honolulu Harbor was filled to capacity with dozens of ships and hundreds of foreign sailors, merchants and adventurers from all over the world. Because Hawaiians did not have well defined, Western-style burial grounds with individually marked plots, and because Kawaiahao Church Cemetery (the first foreign cemetery established in the islands in 1829) only admitted those foreigners who were either Protestant or Christian. Those others were left without “fitting and proper” burial ground. The founders of Oahu Cemetery were residents who were concerned for the burial needs of their own families, and for those souls who died here without families. These residents also wanted a more “modern” burial ground, like the ones being established in America and Great Britain at the time. The original 4.5 acre site in lower Nuuanu Valley was chosen because of its proximity to the harbor, and because frequent rains in the valley make the soil easy to dig and irrigate. It would be outside the city limits, yet would be an easy carriage ride from most homes in town. Today, Oahu Cemetery’s 18 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds with over 25,000 burials and contains the most abundant collection of 19th Century grave art in Hawaii. Please note that Oahu Cemetery & Crematory welcomes all individuals and families regardless of their ethnic or religious background.