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 immigration to America. This area has six old buildings on a 4.5-acre piece of land. Historians say it's a rare and important site. It shows how Japanese American history has changed over time.

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

• The arrival of Japanese immigrants (called Issei) in the late 1800s.
• Laws in the early 1900s that stopped Japanese people from owning land.
• The forced move and imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
• Their return to California after the war in 1945.

History of Wintersburg Village

Before modern times, the Tongva, a native group, lived here for centuries. The modern history of Wintersburg Village began in 1908. Japanese immigrant pioneers bought this land. It was once part of the large Rancho Las Bolsas.

Efforts to save Wintersburg Village started after the land was sold in 2004. People learned the new owner planned to tear down the historic buildings. Since 2011, groups have worked to buy the property. They want to turn it into a heritage park. They also want to fix the buildings so they don't fall apart. The main goal is to create a lasting historical site for everyone to visit.

What Wintersburg Village Looked Like

The Historic Wintersburg site once had six old buildings:

• The 1910 Japanese Presbyterian Mission.
• The 1910 Manse (a house for the minister).
• The 1934 Japanese Presbyterian Church (built during the Great Depression).
• The 1912 Furuta family house.
• The Furuta barn (built between 1908 and 1912).
• The 1947 Furuta ranch house (built after World War II).

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

The land at Historic Wintersburg was bought before California passed the Alien Land Laws in 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 to Charles Furuta. They agreed that a small part would be used for the Japanese Presbyterian Mission.

Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission and manse (parsonage) with congregation in 1910.

The Wintersburg Japanese Mission

The Wintersburg Japanese Mission started in 1904. It was a place for people of different faiths and backgrounds. It first met in borrowed spaces in Wintersburg Village. In 1909, they got their own land. Ministers from different Christian groups helped start it. People from both Japanese American and European American communities donated money for the 1910 Mission and Manse buildings.

In 1930, the Mission officially became a Presbyterian Church. At that time, it was known as "the oldest Japanese church in Southern California." The Church is one of fourteen missions started with the help of Dr. Ernest Adolphus Sturge. He led the Japanese Mission efforts for the Presbyterian Church.

The Mission helped Japanese immigrants. Its history says ministers walked into celery fields in 1902 to talk with them. Today, the church is called Wintersburg Church and is in Santa Ana, California. Most of its members are still Japanese American.

In 2014, the Church became a non-denominational Christian church again. The Presbyterian Church apologized to them for not helping during World War II. They said they didn't support their Japanese American members when they were forced to leave their homes.

Japanese Language Schools

The Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission helped support four Japanese Language Schools in Orange County. These were in Garden Grove, Talbert (now Fountain Valley), Costa Mesa, and Laguna Beach. These schools were important community centers. They offered language classes and religious services. They also served as meeting places for local farmers.

Only one of these language school buildings still exists. It is in the historic district of Crystal Cove State Park. During World War II, when Japanese Americans were forced to leave their homes, the U.S. military used the Laguna Beach Japanese Language School. After the war, Japanese American farmers could not get their farms back. Today, the Laguna Beach Japanese Language School building is Cottage #34. It is now the cultural center for Crystal Cove State Park.

Ministers of the Wintersburg Mission

Reverend Joseph Kenichi Inzawa and his wife, Kate Alice Goodman, were the first official ministers in 1910. They also lived in the manse. Kenji Kikuchi was a minister for a long time, from 1926 to 1934. He shared many stories about the Mission's history.

Sohei Kowta was a minister from 1938 to 1942. The F.B.I. questioned him after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Reverend Kowta helped keep the church community strong during the war. He was a comforting presence for people forced into confinement camps. He helped them cope with leaving their homes.

The C.M. Furuta Gold Fish Farm

Charles Mitsuji Furuta came to America in 1900. He first worked in Tacoma, Washington. Then he came to Wintersburg Village in Orange County and worked in celery fields. He met Reverend Hisakichi Terasawa, who helped him save money to buy land. In 1908, they bought the five-acre property known as Historic Wintersburg.

In 1912, Furuta owned the entire property. He set aside a corner for the Japanese mission. He then went to Japan to marry Yukiko Yajima. They returned to America, and Furuta built a house on his farm. The house was finished in early 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.

By 1917, Furuta started his first goldfish pond. By the 1920s, most of his farm was covered with goldfish ponds. Two other goldfish farms were started in Wintersburg Village by his brother-in-law and another friend. The Furuta family continued to farm goldfish until they were forced to leave California in 1942. This happened after Executive Order 9066 was issued following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Forced Removal and Confinement During World War II

After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Charles Furuta and Reverend Sohei Kowta were questioned by the F.B.I. at Historic Wintersburg. Charles Furuta was sent to the Tuna Canyon Detention Station in Los Angeles County. Several other people connected to Wintersburg Village were also held there.

On February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 was signed. This order forced all Japanese Americans to leave the West Coast. By May 1942, all Japanese Americans from Orange County were removed. Many were sent to the Colorado River Relocation Center at Poston, Arizona.

The Wintersburg Mission followed its members into the confinement camps. Ministers helped people deal with leaving their homes. They continued to support them in the camps and helped them return to Southern California after the war. Reverend Kowta helped set up a center in Los Angeles to aid Japanese Americans returning from the camps.

Charles Furuta was first held at Tuna Canyon. Later, he was moved to a camp for "enemy aliens" in Lordsburg, New Mexico. He was 61 years old and had lived in the U.S. for 42 years. On May 16, 1942, Yukiko Furuta and their children were sent to Poston. Charles Furuta was allowed to join his family there a year later. The Furuta family was held for three years. They returned to their farm in Wintersburg Village in 1945.

When the Furutas returned, their goldfish ponds were damaged, and the farm was in disrepair. They spent years fixing the ponds to grow water lilies. They also grew sweet pea flowers. The Furuta flower farm became the largest supplier of cut water lilies in the U.S. for many years.

A Symbol of Japanese American Settlement

Historic Wintersburg shows the story of Japanese pioneers settling in the American West. It also shows their fight for citizenship and civil rights. It includes the C.M. Furuta Gold Fish Farm and the Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission. The Mission was the oldest Japanese house of worship in Orange County and much of California.

Historic Wintersburg was recognized as important in 1983. It was named a local historic landmark by Huntington Beach in 1986. In 2014, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named it one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. This means it was in danger of being lost forever. The land owner wanted to tear down all six historic buildings.

In 2015, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Historic Wintersburg a "National Treasure." They said it honors the Japanese American experience. It reminds us of the struggle for fairness that many immigrant groups still face today.

The Japanese Mission Trail

Historic Wintersburg is part of California’s "Japanese Mission Trail." This term highlights the journey and settlement of Japanese pioneer communities in California. In 1885, the first Japanese mission in California was started. This began an effort by Japanese pioneers to build communities as they adapted to American life. Unlike the Spanish missions, Japanese missions appeared where immigrants found work. In Orange County in the early 1900s, work was in celery, sugar beet, and chili pepper fields around Wintersburg Village.

Dr. Ernest Adolphus Sturge helped many Japanese missions along the West Coast. He was honored by the Emperor of Japan for his work with Japanese immigrants. Dr. Sturge and his wife taught English classes to Japanese students. They were among the first to start mission efforts for Japanese immigrants in America. The Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission was the fifth mission helped by Dr. Sturge.

Saving Historic Wintersburg

• 2004: The Furuta family sold the property after almost a century. A waste disposal company bought it.
• 2011: The new owner wanted to change the land use and tear down all the historic buildings.
• 2012: Huntington Beach City Council created a task force to save Historic Wintersburg.
• 2013: The City Council approved plans that included tearing down the buildings. Lawsuits were filed to stop this.
• 2014: Historic Wintersburg was named one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places.
• 2015: A judge ordered Huntington Beach to cancel the demolition approval. The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Historic Wintersburg a National Treasure.
• 2016: The property owner said they would not tear down the buildings. They agreed to work on a plan with preservation groups.
• 2017: This year marked 75 years since Executive Order 9066 forced Japanese Americans from their homes. Discussions continued about buying the property for preservation.
• 2018-2020: The owner announced plans to sell the property for self-storage development.
• 2021: A nonprofit group, Heritage Museum of Orange County, partnered with the preservation effort.
• 2022: Historic Wintersburg is still 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.

Notable People from Wintersburg Village

Many important people are connected to Historic Wintersburg:

• James Kanno: The first Japanese American mayor in the U.S.
• Stephen Tamura: The first Japanese American attorney 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 ministers who made headlines with their interracial marriage in 1910.
• Reverend Sohei Kowta: A minister who helped unite religious groups at the Poston confinement camp.
• Charles Mitsuji Furuta: The first Japanese immigrant baptized as Christian in Orange County. He helped start the Wintersburg mission.
• Yasumatsu Miyawaki: Owned the first Japanese market on Main Street in Huntington Beach in 1911.
• Koha Takeishi: A Japanese aviator in 1912.
• World War II Medal of Honor nominees.