Join us for Holidays in Huntington Beach!

© 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.

Join us for Holidays in Huntington Beach 1917!

ABOVE: The R.G. Tashima Co. market was one of the first markets in Wintersburg Village and was a feed and seed store, as well as a general food staples market.  Originally opened by Tsurumatsu "T.M." Asari, it was later owned by Gunjiro Tashima, who had started working at the market as a clerk.  Historic Wintersburg honors this part of our pioneer history, setting up the market tent with historical displays on the lawn of the Newland House Museum. (Photograph courtesy of Huntington Beach Historical Society)

    Historic Wintersburg and the Huntington Beach Historical Society host the fourth annual Holidays in Huntington Beach, a free, open house event on Friday, December 1, from 6 pm to 9 pm.  Each year, we roll the clock back a century. This year it is 1917!

   Historic Wintersburg will again set up the Tashima Market tent with historical displays.  We'll have historical highlights from 1917, the year America entered the first World War.

RIGHT: Nancy Hayata, a classically trained dancer with Little Tokyo Dance Club, will perform on the lawn of the Newland House Museum at 7 pm.  Nancy has performed at the annual Huntington Beach Cherry Blossom Festival supporting the Sister City program with Anjo, Japan, and is a volunteer on the Festival committee.  This year at Holidays in Huntington Beach 1917, Nancy Hayata performs to Kitaguni no Haru, or, "Spring in the North".  The song is a longing for one's childhood hometown and expresses that spring will come after a cold winter, "White birch, blue sky, south wind. The magnolias blooms in that hill in the North...Yellow roses, morning mist, a watermill, A children's song is heard in the North Country, Ah, spring in the North..."

    Historic Wintersburg will have a special gift for the first 200 guests at the free, open house event. We have compiled a sampling of authentic recipes reflecting the pioneers of Wintersburg Village and Huntington Beach Township in 1917.
  

LEFT: "A taste of 1917: Recipes from a century ago" is a selection of recipes from 1917 cookbooks and bartender guides, a taste of what was on local pioneer tables. Do you know how to make Economy Vinegar? Mushi Ahiru (baked duck)? Have you ever tried a Barking Dog or Fluffy Ruffles cocktail? Or, how about Sweet Potato Wagashi? We hope you'll enjoy trying a few of these dishes or drinks over the holidays! (Photograph, B. Haynes, November 2017) © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  

   During World War I, Americans were asked to conserve food resources, such as wheat and sugar, as part of the "Food Will Win the War" campaign directed by the newly-created U.S. Food Administration director Herbert Hoover.  However, the agricultural abundance and wild game in Orange County meant that self-sufficient residents in the peatlands still ate well, sharing their bounty and special foods with each other. There are some tasty dishes in "Taste of 1917"!  

   The gates open at 6 p.m.  Nancy Hayata performs on the lawn of the Newland House at 7 p.m.  And, Santa magically arrives at 7:30 p.m.  The young-in-years and the young-at-heart are welcome.

   We invite you to continue the pioneer holiday tradition of Wintersburg Village and Huntington Beach Township and join us back in 1917 to bring in the spirit of the season!  

ABOVE: We'll make sure to bring the candy canes, you bring your 1917 spirit! We ask our guests to set your timepiece back a century and dress in 1917 attire.  If you arrive by horse and buggy, please tie up outside the fence. (Photograph, M. Urashima, December 2016) © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

© 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. 

This Friday! Holidays in Huntington Beach 1916

   Join Historic Wintersburg and the Huntington Beach Historical Society on Friday, December 2, 6 pm - 9 pm, for the third annual Holidays in Huntington Beach!  Each year, we roll the clock back 100 years and this year it is 1916.

   Nancy Hayata, Classical Japanese Dance, will perform at 7 pm.  We expect Santa to arrive at 7:30 pm.  Inside the Newland House, there will be live piano all evening.

RIGHT: Nancy Hayata, Classical Japanese Dance, performed at the annual Huntington Beach Cherry Blossom Festival and is a favorite performer throughout California and Hawaii.  (Photo by Emil Francisco)  © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

   The Tashima Market will be up on the front lawn of the Newland House, a representation of a thriving business that was in Wintersburg Village in the early 1900s.  

   Photographs of the Tashima Market and the Tashima family will be on the wall of the Market, along with other history from 1916.  Read a little about their history at http://historicwintersburg.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-tashimas-of-wintersburg.html
      

LEFT: California women had gained the right to vote in 1911.  In 1916, envoys were sent across the country via train, the "Suffrage Special", to garner support for national suffrage.  The Congressional Union had opened a booth at the Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 and organized the first Women Voters Convention. In 1916, the National Women's Party was formed.  Suffrage efforts continued past the presidential election until women gained the vote nationally in 1920. (Photo, M. Urashima, 2016) © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

   What was happening in 1916?

   The Supreme Court upheld the national income tax.  Pancho Villa was bringing the Mexican Revolution across the border into the United States prompting response by the U.S. 13th Cavalry Regiment. The United States occupied the Dominican Republic and continued to occupy Haiti.  There were conflicts around the globe, in Europe, the Middle East and Mexico, leading to the eventual entry into World War I by the United States in 1917.

RIGHT: A page from a 1916 edition of the Santa Ana Register, today's Orange County Register, mentions the celery production in Wintersburg Village, credited to the Japanese Celery Association.  The Wintersburg M.E. Church is mentioned, which is today's Warner Baptist Church at the corner of Warner Avenue and Gothard Street.  The news from Wintersburg also mentions Ocean View grammar school sports and a horseshoe tournament "near the blacksmith shop".  The blacksmith shop was near the Tashima Market on Warner Road, next to the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks, on the site of what is today the tin building for an automotive repair shop. (Santa Ana Register, January 6, 1916)

   President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America. Pacific Aero Products is incorporated in Seattle, Washington (later to become the Boeing Company). The National Park Service was created.  The United States passed the Philippine Autonomy Act.  The cost of living was a major topic. Women's suffrage swept the nation as the presidential election campaign led to the re-election of Woodrow Wilson.  

   Residents of Wintersburg Village and the Huntington Beach Township would put aside their cares to gather with friends in the peatlands and celebrate their shared community events and holidays.  Join us this week as we return to the community holiday celebration of 1916.

LEFT:  A few scenes from last year's Holidays in Huntington Beach, with Huntington Beach Historical Society president Darrell Rivers (in top hat) with Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force member Dennis Masuda, bottom left.  The Tashima Market will be up again on the front lawn of the Newland House Museum.  There will be a few "modern" concessions, such as our social media holiday frame for your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter photographs!  (Photo collage, M. Urashima, 2015)
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
  
   We'll have some news from the Santa Ana Register, historical photographs and advertisements from 1916 up on the wall of the Tashima Market and adjacent tents.  Visit with the pioneers of Wintersburg Village (our wonderful Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force members).

   Make sure you walk into the Tashima Market to purchase a raffle ticket for a variety of gift baskets, add to your collection of vintage produce crate labels (a few of what will be in the Market shown below), and bags of pine cones from the century-old Furuta farm at Historic Wintersburg.  All proceeds go to the Historic Wintersburg preservation fund.  See you in 1916!

© 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. 

Holidays in Huntington Beach 1915

At the Newland House Museum: It was a 1914 Holiday for Historic Wintersburg and the Huntington Beach Historical Society

IT'S 1914: Historic Wintersburg Task Force member Dennis Masuda gets fully into character in the Tashima Market display on the front lawn of the Newland House Museum for Holidays in Huntington Beach, 1914.  Both Historic Wintersburg Task Force members and Huntington Beach Historical Society members provided "pioneers" for visitors to meet.  (Photo by Mary Urashima, December 5, 2014) © All rights reserved.

OUR NEW ASSEMBLYMAN:  Matthew Harper, now Assemblyman of the 74th District and immediate past mayor of Huntington Beach (center), inside the Tashima market with Historic Wintersburg Task Force members Dennis Masuda and Rebecca Nehez.  Assemblyman Harper helped present The Order of the Newland Rose to Historic Wintersburg Task Force chair, Mary Urashima, "for her continued work in historic preservation in Huntington Beach, namely the Wintersburg Historic District. We honor her for her efforts to our treasured buildings as well as the diverse history of our community." (Photo courtesy of Gregory Robertson, Dec. 5 2014) © All rights reserved.

ORANGE COUNTY PIONEERS: The Tashima family with Historic Wintersburg Task Force members Kanji Sahara (third from left) and Rebecca Nehez (far right), with Task Force chair and Historic Wintersburg author Mary Urashima (third from left).  The Tashima's traveled from outside Orange County to be at the event. (Photo courtesy of Gregory Robertson, Dec. 5 2014) © All rights reserved.

NIGHT FALL: A crowd began to arrive as holiday candles glimmered in the windows of the Newland House.  Approximately 200 to 250 people attended the open house Holidays in Huntington Beach, 1914 event. (Photo courtesy of Gregory Robertson, Dec. 5 2014) © All rights reserved.

WHERE IS WINTERSBURG? A directional sign at the event provided the mileage from the Newland House to locations significant to the Japanese pioneer community, as well as for Huntington Beach's Sister City in Anjo, Japan.  The sign was crafted by Historic Wintersburg Task Force member Barbara Haynes.

Mileage from the Newland House:  Wintersburg Village, 2.7 miles (Wintersburg Mission, Furuta farm, Tashima market); Smeltzer, 3.9 miles (Southern Pacific Railroad siding, Chino camp); Garden Grove, 12.2 miles (Ida Tofu Factory, Japanese Language School); Talbert, 3.3 miles (Escalante Circus campsite, Ishii home, Kato farm, Japanese Language School); Santa Ana, 11.7 miles (Santa Ana early 1900s produce market); Costa Mesa, 6.8 miles (Japanese Language School); Laguna Beach, 14.3 miles (Japanese Language School); Little Tokyo, 36.2 miles (Fugetsu-do confectionery); Anjo, Japan, 5651 miles (Huntington Beach Sister City). (Photo by Mary Urashima, December 5, 2014) © All rights reserved.

TASHIMA MARKET DETAILS: A pair of handwoven tatami sandals and bamboo rake in the Tashima market were among the details providing a glimpse back to 1914.   

These items can be found today in the Historic District of Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, at Anzen Hardware on First Street, which is worth a field trip in itself.  Early 1900s residents of Wintersburg and Smeltzer's Japanese community traveled back and forth to Little Tokyo regularly, on the Pacific Electric Railway "Red Car."  Yukiko Furuta's 1982 oral history includes a reference to shopping in Little Tokyo and enjoying the sweets at a confectionery that undoubtedly was Fugetsu-do Sweet Shop, which opened in 1903.

Also in the market were major crops for Wintersburg and Smeltzer, celery and chili peppers, advertisements from the Orange County Directory for 1913, and a 1914 recipe book.  (Photo by Mary Urashima, December 5, 2014) © All rights reserved.

LOCAL ROYALTY: Miss Huntington Beach, Claire Epting (center, in green), and her court, Alexis Rodriguez and Jena Jean Farris, in the Tashima market with Historic Wintersburg Task Force members Rebecca Nehez (far left), Kanji Sahara (second from left) and Mary Urashima (center). (Photo courtesy of Gregory Robertson, Dec. 5 2014) © All rights reserved.

A SENSE OF COMMUNITY: Local businessman Ed Laird (left) with his family, chats with Assemblyman Matthew Harper (center), Chris McDonald of the Local News (in straw hat) and Huntington Beach Historical Society president Darrell Rivers (in 1914 attire with top hat). (Photo courtesy of Gregory Robertson, Dec. 5 2014) © All rights reserved.

PASSING ON HISTORY: Inside the Tashima market, Kanji Sahara enthralls a visitor as he shares the history of Japanese pioneers and the significance of Historic Wintersburg. In addition to volunteering his time for Historic Wintersburg, Sahara is on the Japanese American Citizens League board and a member of the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition Board. (Photo courtesy of Gregory Robertson, Dec. 5 2014) © All rights reserved.

WINDOW INTO THE PAST: Near the Tashima market display, an exhibit constructed of vintage windows shares historical photographs and information about Historic Wintersburg.  This display made of re-purposed materials---in keeping with the purpose of preservation to re-use and recycle---was used at the Smithsonian Museum's traveling exhibit, Journey Stories, at the Heritage Museum of Orange County in October 2014. (Photo courtesy of Gregory Robertson, Dec. 5 2014) © All rights reserved.

FRIENDS OF HISTORIC WINTERSBURG: Leadership from the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Pacific Southwest joined Historic Wintersburg Task Force member Kanji Sahara in the Tashima market. (Photo courtesy of Gregory Robertson, Dec. 5, 2014) © All rights reserved.

The JACL recognized Task Force chair Mary Urashima with their Community Hero award this year at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles, and has actively supported the preservation of Historic Wintersburg.  

The Japanese American Citizens League was formed in 1929 in California and Washington, and spread to become the largest and most well-known Japanese American organization in the United States.  JACL was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1988, signed by President Ronald Reagan.  

Today, it is the U.S.'s oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization, with 108 chapters nationwide. JACL continues to work on existing and emerging civil liberties issues. 

MOCHI! Special thanks to one of our event sponsors, Fugetsu-do Sweet Shop, on First Street in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.  Guests at the event had the opportunity to taste mochi, a sweet rice confection, at the Tashima market, offered on a vintage tray by a pioneer. Information and directions to Fugetsu-do at http://www.fugetsu-do.com/   (Photo courtesy of Gregory Robertson, Dec. 5 2014) © All rights reserved.

More event photographs and information about the preservation effort for Historic Wintersburg can be found on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Historic-Wintersburg-Preservation-Task-Force/433990979985360

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Santa (the jolly fellow at right) greeted visitors from 1914 and 2014 inside the Newland House, checking his list.  We wish all our readers a very happy holiday season and joyous New Year in 2015. (Photo courtesy of Gregory Robertson, Dec. 5, 2014)
© All rights reserved.

Thank you to our hosts at Holidays in Huntington Beach, 1914, the Huntington Beach Historical Society. 

We are endlessly appreciative of our Historic Wintersburg Task Force members and volunteers.  You made this happen! 

Thank you to Assemblyman Matthew Harper, Huntington Beach Mayor Jill Hardy, and the other dignitaries, officials, and all our guests who stopped by to celebrate the Holidays in Huntington Beach, 1914.  Sharing history is sharing community.

Historic Wintersburg will have much more news to share in 2015 about the effort to preserve one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.  We appreciate the growing support, both locally and nationally, to save Historic Wintersburg for future generations.  

Perhaps in 2114, there will be holiday events looking back 200 years, at both the Newland House and at Historic Wintersburg.  The world will be a different place in the next century.  Knowing where we come from and how far we all have traveled will be even more important.

© 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

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