Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach, California facts for kids

Wintersburg Village is a special place in Huntington Beach, California. It tells the story of over 100 years of Japanese people moving to America. This historic area has six buildings on a 4.5-acre piece of land. Experts say it's important enough to be on the National Register of Historic Places.

The C.M. Furuta Gold Fish Farm and the Wintersburg Japanese Mission are known across the country. They are rare examples of properties owned by Japanese pioneers before 1913. These sites show how Japanese American history unfolded over time.

Wintersburg Village also shows the early farming history of Orange County. It highlights the history of immigration and civil rights on the West Coast. Three generations of Japanese American experiences are seen here:

• The first immigrants, called Issei, arrived in the late 1800s.
• Laws in the early 1900s, like the Alien Land Laws, stopped Japanese immigrants from owning land.
• During World War II, many American citizens of Japanese descent were held in special camps.
• After the war, in 1945, they returned to California.

A Look Back: The History of Wintersburg

The land where Wintersburg Village stands has a long history. For centuries, the Tongva, a native California tribe, lived there. The modern history of the property began in 1908. Japanese immigrant pioneers bought the land, which was once part of a large ranch called Rancho Las Bolsas.

Efforts to save Historic Wintersburg started after the property was sold in 2004. People learned that the new owner planned to change the land use for shops or factories. This would mean tearing down all the historic buildings. Since 2011, people who want to preserve history have been working to buy the property. They hope to turn it into a heritage park and fix the buildings so they don't fall apart.

Buildings at Wintersburg Village

The Historic Wintersburg site once had six important buildings:

• The 1910 Japanese Presbyterian Mission.
• The 1910 Manse (a house for the minister).
• The 1934 Great Depression-era Japanese Presbyterian Church.
• The 1912 Furuta bungalow (a type of house).
• The Furuta barn (built between 1908 and 1912).
• The 1947 post-World War II Furuta ranch house.

Wintersburg Village was part of a larger village in north Orange County. It became part of Huntington Beach in 1957. Sadly, on February 25, 2022, two of the oldest buildings, the 1910 Mission and Manse, were destroyed by fire.

The ownership of the Historic Wintersburg property is special. It happened before California passed the Alien Land Laws of 1913 and 1920. These laws stopped people who couldn't become citizens, mostly Japanese immigrants, from owning land. Reverend Hisakichi Terasawa and Charles Mitsuji Furuta bought the five-acre property in 1908. In 1912, Reverend Terasawa gave the land entirely to Charles Furuta. They agreed that a small part of the land would be used for the Japanese Presbyterian Mission.

Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission and manse (parsonage) with congregation in 1910. The Mission faced Wintersburg Road, now Warner Avenue, in the Wintersburg Village. This area is now north Huntington Beach, California.

The Wintersburg Japanese Mission

The Wintersburg Japanese Mission started in 1904. It was a place for people of different faiths and backgrounds to come together. Christian and Buddhist supporters helped create it. They first met in borrowed spaces in Wintersburg Village. In 1909, they bought their own land.

Ministers from Episcopalian, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches helped start the Mission. Records show that both Japanese American and European American pioneers from Orange County donated money for the 1910 Mission and Manse buildings. A history written in 1930 by Reverend Kenji Kikuchi said the Wintersburg Japanese Mission was known as "the oldest Japanese church in Southern California."

The Mission was one of 14 started with the help of Dr. Ernest Adolphus Sturge. He led the Japanese Mission efforts for the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. The Mission was a place for many cultures and faiths. Ministers would walk into the celery fields in 1902 to talk with Japanese immigrants. After meeting in barns or cottages, the Mission built its first buildings in 1910. It officially became a Presbyterian church in 1930. Today, the church is called Wintersburg Church and is in Santa Ana, California. It still has mostly Japanese American members.

In 2014, the church became an independent Christian church again. The Presbytery of Los Ranchos formally apologized to the church in 2014. This apology was for not helping their Japanese American members during World War II. The Presbytery said they "took a mostly hands-off position" when members were forced to move. They acknowledged the "neglect of care and failure of leadership" and asked for forgiveness.

Japanese Language Schools

The Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission helped support four Japanese Language Schools in Orange County. These schools, called gakuens, were in Garden Grove, Talbert (now Fountain Valley), Costa Mesa, and Laguna Beach. Mission documents and stories from church members tell us about them. These schools were important community centers. Local residents, both Christians and Buddhists, built them. They offered language classes, religious services, and meeting places for farmers.

The Laguna Beach School

Only one of these Japanese Language School buildings still exists. It is preserved in the historic district of Crystal Cove State Park. During World War II, Japanese Americans were forced to leave the West Coast. The U.S. military then used the Laguna Beach Japanese Language School. It became a place for a coastal defense crew to watch for enemies.

After the war, Japanese American farmers could not get their farms and homes back. Today, the Laguna Beach Japanese Language School building is Cottage #34. It serves as Crystal Cove State Park's cultural center.

Important Leaders at the Mission

The first official minister at the Mission in 1910 was Reverend Joseph Kenichi Inzawa. His wife, Kate Alice Goodman, was with him. They were also the first to live in the manse. Kenji Kikuchi served as a minister for a long time, from 1926 to 1934. He shared many detailed stories about the Mission in the 1980s.

Sohei Kowta was a minister from 1938 to 1942. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the F.B.I. questioned him and his neighbor, Charles Mitsuji Furuta. Reverend Kowta was known for bringing people together. A report from 1945 said he helped keep the church united in the Poston, Arizona, camp. He showed that Japanese Americans were not "totally rejected by America."

The Furuta Goldfish Farm

Charles Mitsuji Furuta came to America in 1900. He first worked in Tacoma, Washington, and then came to Wintersburg Village. He found work in the celery fields. There, he met Reverend Hisakichi Terasawa, who was helping to start a Japanese mission.

Charles Furuta's Journey

Reverend Terasawa advised Furuta to save money to buy land. In 1908, they bought the five-acre property that is now Historic Wintersburg. By 1912, Reverend Terasawa gave the entire property to Furuta. Furuta set aside the northwest corner for the Japanese mission.

In 1912, Furuta went back to Japan to marry Yukiko Yajima. They returned to America, and Furuta hired a builder to construct a four-room house on his farm. The house was finished by March 1913. This was just months before California passed the Alien Land Law of 1913. This law made Charles Furuta one of the few Japanese immigrants who owned land in California.

Starting the Goldfish Farm

Furuta worked for other farmers and also farmed his own land. By 1917, he had built his first goldfish pond. In the 1920s, goldfish ponds covered most of the Furuta farm. He raised many types of common and exotic fish. Two other goldfish farms were started in Wintersburg Village around the same time. One was by Furuta's brother-in-law, Henry Kiyomi Akiyama, and another by Tsurumatsu "T.M." Asari. These families continued to farm goldfish until they were forced to leave California in 1942. This happened after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

World War II: A Difficult Time

After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, things changed quickly. Charles Furuta, owner of the goldfish farm, and Reverend Sohei Kowta were questioned by the F.B.I. at Historic Wintersburg. Charles was questioned in his home, and Reverend Kowta in the church offices. Reverend Kowta was allowed to stay with his family until all Japanese Americans were forced to leave California.

Forced to Leave Home

Furuta was first held at the Tuna Canyon Detention Station in Los Angeles County. Several people connected to Historic Wintersburg were held there. On February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 was signed. This order created a military zone and forced Japanese Americans to leave the West Coast. By May 1942, all Japanese Americans from Orange County had been removed. Many gathered at the Pacific Electric Railway station near the Huntington Beach Pier or at the Japanese Language School in Garden Grove. From there, they were bused to the Colorado River Relocation Center at Poston, Arizona.

The Mission During Wartime

The missions followed their communities into the camps. They helped keep people's belongings safe and offered comfort. Ministers helped people deal with leaving their homes. They continued to provide support in the camps and helped people return to Southern California after the war.

In 1945, Reverend Kowta went to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. He helped at the Japanese Union Church of Los Angeles. During the war, this church building was used to store belongings of Japanese Americans in the camps. Reverend Kowta helped Japanese Americans returning from the camps. He helped set up a resettlement center called the Evergreen Hostel.

The Furuta Family's Experience

Charles Furuta was first taken to the Tuna Canyon Detention Station. He was later moved to a government camp for "enemy aliens" in Lordsburg, New Mexico. At this time, Furuta was 61 years old and had lived in the U.S. for 42 years.

On May 16, 1942, Yukiko Furuta and their children were moved from Wintersburg Village to Poston. The family was separated for one year before Charles Furuta could join them. After three years in the camp, the Furutas were released in 1945. They returned home to their farm in Wintersburg Village.

Returning Home and Starting Over

When the Furuta family returned, their goldfish ponds were filled with dirt, and the farm was in bad shape. They spent years fixing the ponds to grow water lilies. They also worked to grow sweet pea flowers on the land. The Furuta flower farm became the biggest supplier of cut water lily flowers in the United States for many years.

Why Wintersburg Village is Important

The Historic Wintersburg property shows the story of Japanese pioneers settling in the American West. It also shows their fight for citizenship and civil rights in the early 1900s. Wintersburg Village is home to both the C.M. Furuta Gold Fish Farm and the Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission. The Mission is the oldest Japanese place of worship of any kind in Orange County and most of California.

In 1986, the City of Huntington Beach named Historic Wintersburg a local historic landmark. Experts have also said it might be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. In June 2013, representatives from the U.S. National Park Service visited. They agreed it could be eligible for the National Register because of its role in Japanese American settlement.

A National Treasure

On June 24, 2014, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Historic Wintersburg one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. It is important because it was a Japanese-owned property bought before the 1913 California Alien Land Law. This law stopped Japanese-born residents from owning property.

Historic Wintersburg is in danger because the current owner changed the land use in 2013. They plan to tear down all six historic buildings. These buildings are 70 to 105 years old. They represent the history of Japanese settlement and the return to California after World War II.

In October 2015, the National Trust for Historic Preservation called Historic Wintersburg a National Treasure. They said it "honors the Japanese-American experience" and reminds us of the "struggle for social justice that many immigrant communities continue to face today."

The Japanese Mission Trail

Historic Wintersburg is part of what some call California’s "Japanese Mission Trail." This term helps highlight the journey of Japanese pioneer communities as they settled and built lives in America. The first Japanese mission in California started in 1885. Unlike the Spanish missions, which were about 30 miles apart, Japanese missions appeared where immigrants found work. In Orange County in the early 1900s, jobs were available in celery, sugar beet, and chili pepper fields around Wintersburg Village.

Dr. Ernest Sturge's Role

Dr. Ernest Adolphus Sturge helped establish Japanese missions along the West Coast. He was a missionary for the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. The Emperor of Japan even honored Dr. Sturge for his work with Japanese immigrants. He was appointed General Superintendent of the Japanese Presbyterian Churches from 1886 to 1934. Dr. Sturge and his wife taught English to Japanese students. They are known for starting mission efforts in the Japanese immigrant community.

The Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission was the fifth mission Dr. Sturge helped establish. Other early missions were in San Francisco, Salinas, Watsonville, and Los Angeles. Dr. Sturge was at the dedication of the Wintersburg Mission in 1910.

Efforts to Save Wintersburg Village

Timeline of Preservation Efforts

• 2004: The Furuta family sold the property after almost a century. Rainbow Environmental Services, a waste company, bought it.
• 2011: Rainbow Environmental proposed tearing down all historic buildings and changing the land use.
• 2012: The Huntington Beach City Council created the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force.
• 2013: The City Council approved plans to rezone the property and demolish the buildings. Lawsuits were filed against the city and Rainbow Environmental. Efforts focused on buying the property or moving the buildings.
• 2014: Historic Wintersburg was named one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
• 2015: A public television series, Our American Family: The Furutas, featured the Furuta family's story. A judge ordered Huntington Beach to cancel the demolition approval. The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Historic Wintersburg a National Treasure.
• 2016: Republic Services, the new owner, said they would not demolish the buildings. They agreed to work on a plan with preservation groups. Archaeological surveys found old bottles, farm tools, and snail shells.
• 2017: This year marked 75 years since Executive Order 9066 forced Japanese Americans into camps. The uniform of Kazuo Masuda, a Wintersburg Mission member and war hero, was displayed at the Smithsonian. Discussions continued about buying the property for a public park. Historic Wintersburg was part of a joint exhibition with the Smithsonian Institution.
• 2018 - 2020: Republic Services announced plans to sell the property for self-storage development.
• 2021: The effort to save Historic Wintersburg partnered with the non-profit Heritage Museum of Orange County.
• 2022: Historic Wintersburg remains an endangered National Treasure. On February 25, 2022, a fire destroyed the 1910 manse and damaged the 1910 Mission building. The remains were later removed. Investigations are ongoing.

Famous People Connected to Wintersburg

Many notable people are part of Historic Wintersburg’s story:

• James Kanno: The first Japanese American mayor in the U.S.
• Stephen Tamura: The first Japanese American lawyer in Orange County and California’s first Japanese American supreme court justice.
• The Masuda family: Mentioned by President Ronald Reagan when he signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
• Clarence Nishizu: The first Japanese American appointed to the Orange County Grand Jury.
• Reverend Joseph Inazawa and Kate Alice Goodman: Mission clergy who made headlines with their marriage between people from different backgrounds in 1910.
• Reverend Sohei Kowta: A leader who brought religious groups together at the Poston, Arizona, camp.
• Charles Mitsuji Furuta: The first Japanese immigrant baptized as Christian in Orange County, a founder of the Wintersburg mission, and president of the Smeltzer Japanese Association.
• Yasumatsu Miyawaki: Owner of the first Japanese market on Main Street Huntington Beach in 1911.
• Koha Takeishi: A Japanese aviator in 1912.
• World War II Medal of Honor nominees.