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In 1854 the Reverend William Cornelius Shipman and his wife Jane sailed
from Boston Harbor for the Pacific. Dispatched by the American Board of Foreign
Missions to serve in the Pacific, they arrived 135 days later in Lahaina,
Maui, and shortly thereafter a son, William Herbert Shipman, was born. The
following year Reverend Shipman accepted a vacancy at Ka'u, on Hawaii Island,
and the family made Hawaii their permanent home.
W. H. Shipman grew up on Hawaii and as a young man attended Punahou School on Oahu and Knox College in Illinois. He returned to Hawaii to manage Kapala Ranch. In 1879 he married Mary Elizabeth Johnson of Kona, grandniece of John Davis whose uncle, Isaac Davis, was advisor to King Kamehameha I. Shortly thereafter William and Mary moved to Kapoho and took over the family ranch.
Kapoho was 23 miles from Hilo over rough trails, the main one being the King's Highway along the Puna coast. The Shipmans passed Haena Beach frequently and Mary often told Willie that she would like to have a home near the beautiful beach and own the surroundings in order to protect the area for future generations.
Haena was part of the Ahupuaa of Keaau (Lands of Keaau) covering 70,000 acres from the Puna coast (9 miles frontage) to Kilauea Volcano. In 1882 the King Lunalilo Estate sold the lands to W. H. Shipman, J. Eldarts and S. Damon. Over the next two years Willie bought his partners' interests and became sole owner of the Lands of Keaau.
Willie built a home at Haena Beach in 1904 and with his son, Herbert Shipman,
expanded the family ranching operations on the newly acquired property. The
family also had a dairy and poultry farm. William died in 1943 and Herbert,
who was a conservationist, took over the Company. He was awarded the American
Orchid Society's Gold Medal for pioneering orchid development in Hawaii and
the National Geographic Society and the State credited him with saving the
nene (a native goose and the State bird of Hawaii) from extinction by raising
them near Haena Beach.
In 1976 W. H. Shipman's grandson, Roy Shipman Blackshear, picked up the reins. Roy continued to raise the rare nene and maintained the family tradition of shepherding the land. Shipman great-grandsons Bill Walter and Tom English assumed the responsibilities of management and stewardship in 2005.
Over the years much of the Shipman holdings have been sold to provide infrastructure for a growing population, for municipal uses, and for farming. Today, W. H. Shipman, Limited, retains approximately 17,000 acres primarily in the Puna District.
W. H. Shipman lands are as diverse as the Hawaiian landscape in their many productive uses. One of the State's largest banana plantation is located here. An enormous fresh water aquifer flows beneath the property holding future promise. The University uses lands and coastline for important food development studies, and Shipman has worked with The Nature Conservancy, the State Fish & Game, State Social Services and the U. S. Forest Service Stewardship program to develop habitats for endangered wildlife species. In addition, W. H. Shipman, Limited, has made available lands for municipal services and continues to work with the County to find sites for schools, fire and police stations. Papaya, truck farming, nursery plants, macadamia orchards and grazing are other current uses of W. H. Shipman, Limited lands.
Today W. H. Shipman, Limited, is looking to the future for land uses to meet the needs of Hawaii Island. An example is W. H. Shipman Business Park. Here new tenants are taking advantage of fee-simple and leasehold lots and creating new jobs in a carefully planned, incremental project with high standards. These businesses are providing an important economic base for residents of Keaau, Hilo and Puna. The company is also committed to affordable housing opportunities to help communities grow in East Hawaii and Puna.
Projections for population growth in Keaau and Puna are high. Indeed, if East Hawaii is to grow, then Keaau is the obvious center for accommodating new needs for housing, business and public services. Because W. H. Shipman, Limited, has demonstrated a strong commitment to land and resource preservation historically, and because the company continues to look toward community welfare, W. H. Shipman, Limited, is in a unique position to shepherd a growth scenario that preserves the land and lifestyle.
A more detailed history of the Shipman family is available in the book, The Shipmans of East Hawaii by Emmett Cahill, published by University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 0-8248-1680-3.
© 2000 W. H. Shipman, Limited. All rights reserved.