1883 May 24

Ke Ali’i Ruth Ke’elikolani dies and leaves 353,000 acres of land to her cousin, Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last surviving heir of the Kamehameha ‘ohana.

1884 October 26

Pauahi dies of breast cancer.  Her last days are spent at Keöua Hale, the home of Ke’elikolani.  Her Will establishes the Kamehameha Schools. Her husband, Charles Reed Bishop, is among the first Trustees and guides decisions of the Schools until his death on June 7, 1915.

The Will concerning Kamehameha Schools --Thirteenth. I give, devise and bequeath all of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate real and personal, wherever situated unto the trustees below named, their heirs and assigns forever, to hold upon the following trusts, namely: to erect and maintain in the Hawaiian Islands two schools, each for boarding and day scholars, one for boys and one for girls, to be known as, and called the Kamehameha Schools. I direct my trustees to expend such amount as they may deem best, not to exceed however one-half of the fund which may come into their hands, in the purchase of suitable premises, the erection of school buildings, and in furnishing the same with the necessary and appropriate fixtures furniture and apparatus. I direct my trustees to invest the remainder of my estate in such manner as they may think best, and to expend the annual income in the maintenance of said schools; meaning thereby the salaries of teachers, the repairing buildings and other incidental expenses; and to devote a portion of each years income to the support and education of orphans, and others in indigent circumstances, giving the preference to Hawaiians of pure or part aboriginal blood; the proportion in which said annual income is to be divided among the various objects above mentioned to be determined solely by my said trustees they to have full discretion. I desire my trustees to provide first and chiefly a good education in the common English branches, and also instruction in morals and in such useful knowledge as may tend to make good and industrious men and women; and I desire instruction in the higher branches to be subsidiary to the foregoing objects. For the purposes aforesaid I grant unto my said trustees full power to lease or sell any portion of my real estate, and to reinvest the proceeds and the balance of my estate in real estate, or in such other manner as to my said trustees may seem best. I also give unto my said trustees full power to make all such rules and regulations as they may deem necessary for the government of said schools and to regulate the admission of pupils, and the same to alter, amend and publish upon a vote of a majority of said trustees. I also direct that my said trustees shall annually make a full and complete report of all receipts and expenditures, and of the condition of said schools to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, or other highest judicial officer in this country; and shall also file before him annually an inventory of the property in their hands and how invested, and to publish the same in some newspaper published in said Honolulu; I also direct my said trustees to keep said school buildings insured in good companies, and in case of loss to expend the amounts recovered in replacing or repairing said buildings. I also direct that the teachers of said schools shall forever be persons of the Protestant religion, but I do not intend that the choice should be restricted to persons of any particular sect of Protestants.

Fourteenth. I appoint my husband Charles R. Bishop, Samuel M. Damon, Charles M. Hyde, Charles M. Cooke, and William O. Smith, all of Honolulu, to be my trustees...

1885 December 23

The official Prospectus of Kamehameha Schools publically announced: ...It is intended that the course of study shall be specially adapted to the circumstances and needs of our island community, present and prospective, with no rigid requirements designed to turn out finished products of one particular pattern...

   The School for Girls will be located near Lunalilo Home...[the site of the present Roosevelt High School]...in Makiki and the School for Boys should be beyond the Reformatory on the western limits of Palama...[at Kaiwiula]...

Music teacher TTHEODORE RICHARDS writes: The three year curriculum emphasizes oral and written language; proficiency in mathematics, including algebra and geometry; original composition; familiarity with business forms and accounting practices, free-hand drawing and design; geography; laws of health; moral instruction and music.  Manual training consists of...carpentry, joinery, blacksmithing, piping, woodturning, stonecutting, composition and presswork.

Rising bell rings at 5:00 a.m. Each boy is required to do one and one-half hours of work before breakfast. Their chores include care of the buildings and grounds, helping in the kitchen and dining room, cutting firewood and clearing the campus of rocks and weeds.