A Ghost at Schofield Barracks
A Ghost at Schofield Barracks
The Ghost of the Bandstand
The setting is in the heart of Schofield Barracks, where a modest wooden bandstand one stood in the Engineer Quadrangle. It was a square platform with a roof, built in the early days when the Engineer Regiment still had a full band. Though this account was published in the Honolulu Advertiser back in 1937, even then, it was described as a tale from “long ago.”
After the band was eventually—quite literally—disbanded, the platform began to fall into disrepair. For a time, it was repurposed: first as a boxing ring, then a platform for speeches and pep rallies. But by the 1930s, its use had dwindled. Each morning after Reveille, it served one simple function: to announce the start of calisthenics.
Yet not all activity ceased.
One sergeant of the guard reported that the bandstand hadn’t lost its musical purpose entirely—at least, not on stormy nights. According to him, a ghostly figure was occasionally seen on dark, rainy evenings, standing atop the abandoned platform. The spirit, unkempt with long, shaggy hair, appeared to have been untouched by time. Despite his wild appearance, there was still a certain military bearing about him. His uniform was neatly worn, and the brass buttons gleamed faintly in the dim light.
The ghost, witnesses claimed, would suddenly appear, baton in hand, conducting as though the Engineer Band still played before him. Some even insisted they could hear the phantom musicians—an entire spectral band performing long-forgotten marches in the rain.
Was it memory? Imagination? Or something more?
The old bandstand is long gone, but I can’t help but wonder: does the ghost of the conductor still return to the Engineer Quad when the weather turns? Has anyone at Schofield Barracks seen him lately—his baton raised, leading a band only the dead can hear?
Echoes of the Band in Haunted Honolulu
From ghostly conductors to phantom bands, Schofield Barracks holds its own place among the most haunted places in Hawai‘i. Just like the stories of the night marchers, the fire goddess Pele, and other chilling Hawaiian legends, this tale reminds us that the past still echoes across the islands. Join us on a Honolulu ghost tour and discover the hidden stories behind haunted Honolulu—from military bases to sacred sites. Our Hawaii ghost tours offer a deeper look into the mystery, history, and true hauntings that shape the islands.