EVENT: Holidays in Huntington Beach, 1914

The Tashima Market in Wintersburg Village was a feed and seed store, as well as a general market for groceries for the pioneer community.  The Tashima Market and the McIntosh Meat Co. market were the two main food markets for the rural farming community.  (Photograph courtesy of Eugene Tashima) © All rights reserved.

   The Huntington Beach Historical Society is hosting their annual holiday open house with a new partner this year, Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach.  The event, Holidays in Huntington Beach, will be held at the Newland House Museum, with historical displays of life a century ago.

 

   The Newland House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and dates to 1898 when it was built for William and Mary Newland, pioneer settlers of Huntington Beach.  The Newland House was saved and preserved through a community effort.  It is now one of the oldest homes remaining in Huntington Beach, a reminder of Orange County’s pioneer community.  The Newland House and gardens will be open, free to the general public during the event.

   Holidays in Huntington Beach also will feature a glimpse of Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach, named in June 2014 one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  

   Wintersburg Village began forming in the 1880s and was annexed into the City of Huntington Beach in 1957.  Charles Furuta, owner of the Furuta farm at Historic Wintersburg arrived in what would become Huntington Beach approximately five to six years after the Newland House was built.

   Event guests will walk into Wintersburg Village’s Tashima Market on the front lawn of the Newland House and view a display of historical photographs relating to Huntington Beach’s Japanese pioneers.  There will be opportunity to chat with pioneers, as part of the exhibit re-enactment.  Also, guests can try a taste of mochi, a traditional rice flour sweet, courtesy of the century-old Fugetsu-do Sweet Shop, a confectionery in Little Tokyo.

Left: The Fugetsu-do Sweet Shop in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, dates back to 1903.  Wintersburg Village residents traveled to Little Tokyo for shopping via the Pacific Electric Railway, also known as the "Red Car," in the early 1900s. (Photograph, M. Urashima, November 22, 2014)  © All rights reserved.

   Some items will be available at the "Christmas market" as donation opportunities for the preservation work.  Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach author, Mary Adams Urashima, will have copies of her books available for sale and signing.  

   The event features live holiday music and refreshments.  As part of the holiday tradition, Santa will make an appearance at the Newland House, making this an event for all ages!

Right: The stately Newland House, circa 1910, with "Bob, the dog" out front. (Photograph courtesy of City of Huntington Beach archives)

   Holidays in Huntington Beach is at the Newland House Museum, Friday, December 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., 19820 Beach Boulevard (in the Newland Shopping Center at Beach Boulevard and Adams Avenue).  

   Admission is free.  Guests are encouraged to arrive in 1914 fashion and be of good cheer!

Left: The traditional holiday and special event sweet, mochi.  Mochi is a rice cake made usually at the New Year holiday in a ceremony called mochitsuki.  Fugetsu-do Sweet Shop is sending its famous "Rainbow Dango" mochi. (Photograph, WikiCommons)

More information about the Newland House Museum and the Huntington Beach Historical Society can be found at   https://www.facebook.com/HBHistoricalSociety

More information about Historic Wintersburg can be found on this blog and on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Historic-Wintersburg-Preservation-Task-Force/433990979985360

 

© All rights reserved.  No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams Urashima