The Haunted Halls of Hawai'i State Capitol: A Ghostly Visitor from the Past

The Story of a Friendly “Imaginary Friend”

One of the most intriguing stories of the Hawai‘i State Capitol being haunted comes from former State Senator Eloise Tungpalan, who frequently brought her young daughter to the Capitol building when she was working. One day, while working in her office, Tungpalan noticed her daughter talking, laughing, and playing with an invisible companion. Her daughter seemed to be bouncing a ball, interacting with someone who wasn’t there. Curious, Tungpalan asked her daughter who she was playing with. The girl replied, “The nice Hawaiian lady.”

At the time, Tungpalan didn’t think much of it. Perhaps it was just a child’s imagination running wild in the vast, quiet halls of the Capitol building. However, the very next morning, something happened that sent a chill down her spine. As they walked by the statue of Queen Lili‘uokalani in front of the State Capitol, her daughter suddenly pointed and said with wide eyes, “Mom, that’s the lady who played with me at the office.”

Could the former queen’s spirit be watching over the halls of power? Queen Lili‘uokalani, the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, remains a deeply respected and beloved figure. Many believe her spirit continues to linger near places of governance, symbolizing her enduring watch over her people and homeland. To this day, some employees and visitors claim to feel an inexplicable presence near the Queen’s statue or hear soft footsteps echoing through the halls late at night.

**Queen Liliʻuokalani:** Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha (1838 – 1917) was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on January 17, 1893. The composer of “Aloha ʻOe” and numerous other works, she wrote her autobiography Hawaiʻi’s Story by Hawaiʻi’s Queen (1898) during her imprisonment following the overthrow.

Other Hauntings at the Capitol

The story of the Queen’s ghostly playdate isn’t the only supernatural tale whispered about the State Capitol. Workers have reported hearing strange sounds, like voices muttering just out of earshot, or the faint rustling of papers when no one else is around. Lights flicker mysteriously, and sudden cold drafts are often felt in otherwise warm rooms. Some have even claimed to see shadowy figures moving down the hallways, vanishing around corners as soon as they come into view.

Some say that the building was built on top of a mass grave of people who died in the epidemic in 1822.

This was also where the king’s guard once had their barracks and some think that the spirits of the guards are still lingering. There is also a security guard who supposedly died said to haunt the Capital as well as a construction worker, still working away, even in his afterlife.

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