Afong Villa
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 for 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
Harbor from foreign attack.
The battery consisted of two
14-inch guns, capable of
firing a 1,560 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
December 7, 1976 as the home of the U.S. Army Museum of Hawai‘i.
Marker can be reached from the intersection of Kalia Road and Saratoga Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
