Some wish Lahaina’s 225-foot-high smokestack would be torn down

LAHAINA (HawaiiNewsNow) – A preservation group is pushing to repair a near-century old relic of West Maui’s sugar plantation.
Meanwhile, some critics wish the landmark would be torn down.
Pioneer Mill erected the 225-foot-high smokestack off Lahainaluna Road in 1928 and it has become a landmark in Lahaina.
Nonetheless, some Native Hawaiians say it is a constant reminder of the harm that was done to them.
“One hundred thirty years ago, it started with Pioneer Mill diverting all of our streams on the west side,” Lahaina native Kekai Keahi said.
Keahi, whose family has been in Lahaina for generations, say some of the region’s most pressing problems and deepest resentments are tied to Lahaina’s first commercial sugar plantation.
“There’s a lot of good things about plantation era where we had an intermingling of different ethnic groups and that’s fine. In fact, that’s great. But during the plantation era, especially Pioneer Mill, they were one of the main reasons why a lot of Hawaiians lost their lands and the water issue that we talk about today,” said Keahi.
Keahi said it was hurtful when some people saw the smokestack still standing after the devastating 2023 fire and called it a symbol of resiliency for the town.
He and other Native Hawaiians believe it is a symbol of colonialism and a reminder that Lahaina was once lush before the plantation began diverting streams to irrigate fields.
“This fire never start on Aug. 8. It started 130 years ago,” he said. “So that smokestack is the representation of us losing our waters and turning Lahaina into the desert that it is.”
After last year’s fire, engineers noticed cracks in the structure’s base.
County officials reported last week that inspectors found no significant risk of collapse.
The Lahaina Restoration Foundation said the plantation provided thousands of jobs over its 139-year history and many people in the community have been working to save the smokestack.
“Responding to pleas from the community to save the Pioneer Mill Smokestack in 2006 when the mill was being demolished, Lahaina Restoration Foundation (LRF) took on the challenge and with community donations, completed the restoration in 2010,” said Theo Morrison, the foundation’s executive director.
Keahi said he and others want the smokestack demolished.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing that come down.”
The foundation said it is negotiating a lease with the landowner and will soon begin a fundraising campaign to pay for the smokestack repairs.
Engraved bricks are currently available and can be purchased online at www.lahainarestorationstore.org.
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