Spooky Construction Stories ’23
In Hawaii, Halloween just wouldn’t be Halloween without the customary exchange of spooky ghost stories or unexplainable paranormal events. We love those stories that leave us wondering: Could it be true? There will always be those who readily believe and others who remain skeptical. Here are three stories from our GCA members. We’ll leave it up to you if you want to believe they are true.
*Note that we omitted or changed names, locations, and other info where appropriate to protect the privacy of companies and individuals in the stories.
PROJECT BLESSING
Thomas Jacobs, Project EHS Safety Manager of Layton Construction, shares an “unreal chicken skin” story. One morning while greeting the trades at a project site, a frail, older woman asked if she could "ho‘opono" the project. After speaking with the superintendent, her wish was granted.
About ten steps into our walk, I looked back and she was gone! There was nowhere for her to go.
- Thomas Jacobs
She started chanting from outside the project on the ground, but she could be heard on the 12th floor as if she was on the 12th floor. After chanting, she asked for a donation. The superintendent and I scrambled up $60 and met her on the front of the project outside the gates. We paid her, and then parted ways. We went up the sidewalk, and she went down in the opposite direction.
We were adjacent to six lanes of traffic, three eastbound and three westbound. and there were no buildings along the sidewalk. About ten steps into our walk, I looked back and she was gone! There was nowhere for her to go. The superintendent and I could not figure out where she had vanished!
"ALONE" DURING THE SHIFT?
Manny Aquino, of Hensel Phelps, has another spooky story.
“One of our projects involved renovating an office floor space in a Honolulu building, historically known for being the site of a bus crash full of kids back in the plantation era. The work took place at night as the office was occupied during the day,” Manny recalled.
Footsteps were spotted on the floor prep substrate although none of the flooring tradesman walked in the area.
- Manny Aquino
“Throughout the project, doors were found open and lights on in areas that were off and closed at the start of the shift. Subtle noises could be heard in the area at random times throughout the shift. Footsteps were spotted on the floor prep substrate although none of the flooring tradesman walked in the area,” he continued.
The result? “The project was completed and successful, but until today, tradesmen request not to work in the building at nights.”
BOULDER'S RETURN
Garrett Sullivan, President of Sullivan & Associates, Inc., says that all contractors love to tell stories. One spooky story has been circulating within the industry for years. It goes like this:
For many years, I worked with a crane operator whose nickname was "Keoni." One day when we were working on a job near the Pali Highway, he relayed a story that still has evidence to this day!
To his astonishment and many others when they arrived back at work the next morning, the boulder was back in the middle of the road! Everyone thought it very strange and the foreman said to load it out when the first dump truck arrived.
- Garrett Sullivan
Keoni was operating a front-end loader as the Pali Highway was being constructed.
As the crew was working near Castle Junction at the turn to go on Kamehameha Highway toward Kaneohe, there was a large boulder in the middle of the road. He was told by the foreman to load it into the rock dump truck. He did and it was hauled away that afternoon.
To his astonishment and many others when they arrived back at work the next morning, the boulder was back in the middle of the road! Everyone thought it very strange and the foreman said to load it out when the first dump truck arrived.
Again, for the second time the boulder was loaded out and taken off the jobsite.
You guessed it. The next morning the bolder was back in the middle of the road!
At this point, the crew was spooked out and it was decided to leave the boulder on the side of the road and the story of the boulder that would not go away continued to spread.
As time went on, the boulder became a part of a permanent monument located at the bottom of the Pali Highway across from the Kaneohe Ranch office with a flag pole dedicated to our military.
Why do I believe this story? Keoni (may he rest in peace) was a salt-of-the-earth type of operator and not likely to fabricate stories and conveyed it in such a way that I still believe it.
*Note that we omitted or changed names, locations, and other info where appropriate to protect the privacy of companies and individuals in the stories.
We hope you enjoyed this special feature! Have any "spooky construction stories" and would like to share? Send an email to communications@gcahawaii.org.
Mahalo!