The Haunted History of Hawaii's Plantation Village

In a former plantation village, staff reports on strange things moving in the empty museums homes, mystic bruises and haunted legends. Perhaps the workers on Hawaii’s Plantation village on Oahu never left?

In Waipahu, Hawaii, lies a place where history and the supernatural intertwine—the Hawaii’s Plantation Village. This unique tourist attraction of the last sugarcane plantation town in Oahu offers a glimpse into the past, re-creating the life of a 1900s sugar plantation with 25 meticulously restored buildings and homes. While the village serves as an important cultural and historical site, it is also reputed to be one of the most haunted locations in the Hawaiian Islands.

Read more: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

Much helped by the Haunted House show they put on every Halloween, the stories of the ghosts goes way back to when the plantation workers lived and worked in the village and fields surrounding it.

The Plantation Past of Hawaii

Hawaii’s Plantation Village once housed plantation laborers from 1850 to 1950 working on the sugar plantations. The workers were from all over the world, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Puerto Rican, Filipino as well as native Hawaiians.

The 50-acre Hawaii’s Plantation Village was established to preserve and present the diverse heritage of Hawaii’s sugar plantation workers as well as the life of the immigrants as it was back then. Each building and home in the village tells a story of hardship, community, and the blending of cultures that shaped modern Hawaii. However, these buildings also seem to hold onto the spirits of those who once lived and toiled within their walls.

Unexplained Phenomena of the Hawaii’s Plantation Village

Visitors and staff have reported a variety of eerie experiences that suggest the village is more than just a historical exhibit. There are today 25 of the plantation houses standing, at least half of them are believed to be haunted and many of the staff working there have gotten their faith and skepticism challenged by all the strange things going on there.

The houses are named after the nationalities of those who lived there, and they each have their particular haunting:

The Portuguese Home

The first home in white painted wood in Hawaii’s Plantation Village is the Portuguese home after passing the temple and Japanese shrine. The Portuguese workers came to Hawaii after a blight that destroyed their vineyards and livelihood in their home country. The Portuguese were luckier than some of the other workers based on their working conditions, and was one of the few nationalities allowed to bring their families.

The place is thought to have some of the more haunted places in the Hawaii’s Plantation Village. Curtains in the Portuguese home are said to move on their own, even when there is no breeze. Witnesses have described the fabric swaying as if touched by unseen hands.

There are stories about the ghost of a small girl dressed in white haunting the house. She remains nameless, but a present ghost, said to be playfully playing with children and appearing in front of their mothers and mother-like women.

According to the stories about her, she never had a mother when she was alive, as she was abandoned by her own as a newborn and according to rumors, it was because of her misshaped head. She was raised with her father inside of the home in the Hawaii’s Plantation Village who hid her from the neighbors and tied his daughter to a table or chair when he had to leave for the day to work in the fields.

One day a fire broke out and the workers rushed back to put out the flame. The father realized he had two choices. He could either rescue his daughter, or leave her inside to be free of her. He decided to leave her and she died in the flames.

Portuguese House (1918) — *Portuguese Home: One of the houses in the Hawaii’s Plantation Village* *thought to be haunted by a little girl. // Source: Flickr*

According to the executive director of the village, Jeffrey Higa, they started to investigate the paranormal claim after a woman felt a presence and swore to never step foot into the house ever again.

They invited Rev. Kahu Silva who claimed to feel the presence of a male ghost in the house and blessed the house with holy water on every window and door as well as ti leaf and Hawaiian salt to rid the house of malevolent spirits. It was also he who told about the history behind the girl ghost.

The female spirit is supposedly still lingering in the house, and Higa describes her as a good spirit. For most parts, some of the workers have decided to quit as well after experiencing strange things going on in the house. A couple of the actors in the Haunted House show suddenly got strange bruises on their legs, as if someone had grabbed them.

The Japanese Home

In Japanese Home, often also called the Okinawan Home as many of the workers were from there, the sound of pots and pans banging is often heard when no one is present. These disembodied noises are thought to be the restless spirits of former inhabitants, continuing their daily routines from beyond the grave.

Japanese Duplex (1910) — *Japanese Home: This haunted house in the Hawaii’s Plantation Village* *is said to be haunted by a choking ghost. // Source: Flickr*

There was once a worker at the museum who claimed that a choking ghost followed him home after a shift at the village. Another female actor also got trouble with her breathing and felt a strong pressure on her neck in the house and never came back.

The Filipino Home

Doors in the Filipino Home are known to unlock and open by themselves. Despite being securely locked, these doors seem to have a mind of their own, swinging open to the astonishment and sometimes terror of those nearby.

The most chilling accounts around the Filipino Home involve sightings of a woman dressed in 1930s-style clothing. This apparition is often seen wandering through the village, her period attire suggesting she is a spectral remnant of the plantation’s heyday. Visitors have reported seeing her both inside buildings and walking the grounds, vanishing into thin air when approached.

A Living Legend of History of the Hawaii’s Plantation Village

Hawaii’s Plantation Village is more than just a museum; it is a living legend where history and the supernatural coexist. As well as a very successful haunted house during Halloween times. But how about the haunting the rest of the year? The apparitions, moving curtains, clanging pots, and self-unlocking doors all point to the possibility that the souls of those who once lived and worked here have not entirely departed.