Est. 1921 · Maui's first co-educational public high school (founded 1913) · Landmark Spanish Mission Revival administration building by architect Charles W. Dickey (1921) · Centerpiece of the former Hamakuapoko sugar-plantation district · Subject of an active community-led historic preservation effort
Hamakuapoko was a sugar-plantation district on Maui's north shore, two miles above Hookipa Beach and near the town of Paia, ringed by cane fields and plantation camps. In 1913 it became home to Maui's first co-educational public high school, offering a free education to the children of plantation laborers and mill workers.
The campus's architectural centerpiece, the administration building, was designed by the prominent Hawaii architect Charles William Dickey in the Spanish Mission Revival style and opened with ceremony in December 1921. For decades the school served generations of Maui families and became an iconic landmark visible to travelers entering and leaving Paia.
In January 1972 the school moved to a new campus in Kahului, leaving the original Hamakuapoko buildings behind. Over the following decades fire, vandalism, and weather took a heavy toll on the abandoned structures. Beginning in 2004, community organizations including the Friends of Old Maui High School launched restoration efforts, with proposed adaptive reuses such as the Patsy T. Mink Center.
Today the campus is a recognized historic site stewarded by the Friends of Old Maui High School. Because the buildings remain in fragile condition, casual entry is discouraged and access is managed by the preservation organization.
Sources
- https://www.mauimagazine.net/old-maui-high-school-history/
- https://historichawaii.org/mes/old-maui-high-school-hamakuapoko-2005/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maui_High_School
- https://oldmauihigh.org/
'Choking ghosts' said to grab students cutting classSobbing and crying heard from the boarded-up old restroomApparitions of former students and staffPlantation- and missionary-era spirits on the grounds
The abandoned campus has become a fixture of Maui ghost lore, documented by regional outlets including Maui Magazine, OnlyInYourState, and Hawaii ghost-tour operators. The best-known legend involves so-called 'choking ghosts' said to target students who skipped class, grabbing or choking those caught on the grounds when school was not in session, a story that circulated among local students for decades.
A second well-known account describes the spirit of a girl whose crying and sobbing is reported from behind the doors of the now boarded-up old restroom. Beyond these, local tradition holds that the grounds are walked by a wider cast of spirits drawn from the area's layered past, from ancient Hawaii through the missionary and plantation eras, including former students, staff, and plantation-era figures.
The lore is folkloric and not tied to any specific named, verifiable individual; the 'choking ghost' and crying-girl motifs are recurring elements of the school's reputation rather than documented historical events. They are presented here as the established oral tradition associated with the site.
Notable Entities
The 'choking ghosts'The crying girl of the old restroom
