Our fourth day in Hawaii I elected for us to visit the Iolani Palace. We were so smart to plan the trip accordingly because it rained the entire time we were in the building. After we'd left and had lunch at this little irish pub, the rain subsided. It was perfect timing.
I'd learned about the Iolani Palace in my "History of Women in the U.S." class last semester. I was intrigued and excited to see some living, public history on our trip.
To make a very long story short, the Palace was built in the 19th century by King Kalakaua and his wife. When the King died, his sister Liliuokalani became Queen of Hawaii. She was Hawaii's last queen because soon America occupied and took the territory. Liliuokalani was locked in one room within the Palace for years, during which we quilted a beautiful quilt (now on display in the room she was confined to).
We took the audio tour and it was simply amazing. The Palace is beautiful and has been restored to look practically new again. Historical Restoration it such a cool profession -- without it the Palace would not look the way it looks today.
In the basement of the Palace is a museum with many artifacts and photographs. They are pictured below.
Across the street is a statue of Queen Liliuokalani as well as the seal of the state of Hawaii. Of course I took a photo under it!
Queen Liliuokalani
King Kalakaua with Robert Louis Stevenson
A party in the throne room
The funeral procession of King Kalakaua
Kels
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