Heinlenville and Nihonmachi

An Artifact’s Journey . . . the Labeling Process

2009-06-01T10:53:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone! I’m sure you were waiting with bated breath for the next installment of the Heinlenville/Nihonmachi blog. I just noticed that the wonderful Thea has discussed the process of flotation. I’m here to hold your hand and gently guide you through the next process – labeling.

After the artifacts have been cleaned, they are placed in new plastic bags with paper labels to identify where each lot of artifacts came from. Labeling is very important as it helps make sure that no artifacts are lost and its location information is always attached to it in some way. Afterwards, we go through and label each individual artifact piece with archival-quality ink and lacquer. What looks like clear nail polish is actually a specialized lacquer that maintains its integrity for much longer than your average Wet ‘N Wild nail polish from Target. The key is to not have these context/identification numbers crumble off 20 years down the line.

The thing about archaeology is that it doesn’t end once everything is dug up. And that’s not necessarily the only fun part. There is a whole process involved where we take great care to maintain the integrity of the artifacts we excavate and attempt to preserve them for as long as possible.

Enough with that fancy talk. I must admit, I thoroughly enjoy labeling. It’s a chance to see the dirty stuff we pulled out of the ground after it’s had a nice ice cold bath and a scrub down with a toothbrush. Since it’s been about a month and a half since we finished up excavations in San Jose, we’ve forgotten all the neat little things we came across throughout our 10-day field rotation. And as an added bonus, Erica, the Lab Manager, has a nice stash of chocolate to keep us going throughout the day. It’s very easy to win over an archaeologist. Usually it involves the delicious combination of milk chocolate, caramel, peanuts and nougat. Just in case you need to send care packages to starving archaeology graduate students in care of Sonoma State University . . . ahem.

Anyway, thanks for listening! Stay tuned!

Carrie Reichardt
Graduate Student

What do archaeologists do with soil samples?

2009-05-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

Hello there out in cyber space! Thea here, blogging about what happened to the artifacts and soil samples that we took away from Heinlenville/Nihonmachi.

All of the artifacts we screened and bagged in the field must be washed and catalogued. Washing the potsherds and bottle glass are fun and easy, but washing the faunal bone is tricky, because you have to be very careful not to break it, and there are many small crevices to clean.

Some of the soil samples we took, we put through a flotation machine, for paleoethnobotanical analysis! Paleoethnobotany is the archaeological sub-field that studies plant remains from archaeological sites. Major research themes are recovery and identification of plant remains, the use of wild plants, and the co-evolution of human-plant interactions.

The flotation machine [Model A Flot-Tech] is the device by which these samples are procured. It is a dual chambered water tank equipped with a pump that circulates that water between the chambers. When you start the machine, one side of the tank slowly overflows into a fine mesh screen. You put the soil sample (about two gallons of soaked soil from a specific place in Heinlenville) into the side that is overflowing, and the light weight plant materials float to the top and spill over into the screen! It is a fun and wet job, so it was a blessing to get nice weather last week.

This week is also nice, and that is good because we are wet screening. Wet screening is exactly what it sounds like: you screen a sample of dirt using water to wash away the loose dirt, revealing the artifacts.

We are finding a lot more stuff, and stay tuned for more interesting blog as the artifact processing goes on!!!

Thea Fuerstenberg
Graduate Student

We made it!

2009-04-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Somebody at the end of the day said: “We made it until the ninth day…!” Yes, we made until the last day … though physically we leave the site tomorrow, today was really the last day of work. The last day is normally reserved for finishing things … “sketch map and draw the cross-section of this wall, while I’m going to do the stratigraphy … so, the light clay is underneath the dark clay with inclusions … and next to the dark clay with no inclusions….” Other people would be cutting small sections to find out more about a certain feature … “Oh, no … this pipe seems to go further … we don’t have time for this! Hurry, hurry …” tic, tock … the day is almost gone ….

Our sore muscles and bodies need a rest after so much hard work … mixed feelings of sadness for leaving site, and happiness for a well done job, and because we can go back to our houses, and back to our normal lives … so much we have learned!!! So much we will learn … once we put all the pieces together!!!

Despite my body aching, the partial sunburn and missing my home and friends … I look back and I feel fortunate … I have participated in bringing back to life the lives of many Chinese and Japanese … their stories won’t fall into oblivion.

Rut Ballesteros
Graduate Student

Day 9

2009-04-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

The morning started off with that enthusiasm that accompanies Day 9 (or day 5 for me); the light glistening at the end of the tunnel, yet sore bodies and tired souls knowing they need to finish working on the variety of features that are open across the project area. If you’ve been following the blog or live in the area, you know it has been hot. Today we felt a bit of relief, with the temperature only in the upper 80’s!

As some folks went off to work on a smear of bricks that were located in the spot that a pig-roasting oven was shown on the Sanborn maps, others went to work on redwood drains and postmold features. I joined folks on the other side of Taylor Street from Heinlenville proper, in the backyard of a residence that was built at some point in the late 19th to early 20th century. This feature was chock full of goodies!

We found more homeopathic medicine bottles, an Indian penny from 1896, lots of ceramic fragments (including several large—and I mean large storage vessels), and various personal items (like toothbrush fragments, clothing fasteners, and a shoe) to name a few. Most notably, however, was the amount of clamshells; they were everywhere! And of course Connie Young Yu was telling us how her family always loved having clams and black bean sauce. It is always such a joy, to have people with a personal attachment to the stuff you are digging up on the site; and even better when they are historians themselves! The worked continued on in that feature while I stepped away from the trench and began to get set up for tomorrow’s total station mapping of all of the work that has been done this year. More fun to be had…

Bryan Much
Archaeologist

Oh man was it hot today!

2009-04-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

It is only my second day on the site, but I am already worn out from the heat. Besides the weather, though, today was a great day at Heinlenville. This morning I was screening for a feature where we found a whole cup. It was white with blue characters, and it had a makers mark on the bottom that says it was made in Japan. Though we at first thought it was a tea cup, Julia identified it as a noodle bowl.

Screening through the soil was extremely difficult. It was thick, dark clay that would not easily sift through the mesh screens. I recovered everything from animal bones, glass bottle fragments, rusted nails, and ceramic sherds, but only after fighting a losing battle with the lumpy, unforgiving soil.

Yesterday we opened up an area across the road. Today, I got a chance to explore the refuse dump found there. There are some great pot fragments that look to have been from large storage containers. The deposit also looks to have a great deal of bone, metal, and ceramics. At the very end of the day, Sandra identified odd soil changes happening in one of the corners. I am excited to work on that area more tomorrow and possibly learn the sequencing of the deposits. It might sound silly, but it is kind of like trying to determine, which came first, the chicken or the egg. We need to see if we can determine which color deposit came first and which deposit is on top of the other.

By far, the highlight of the day was a visit from the project’s biggest fan, a boy named Zach. Zach and his mom have come by everyday after school to check out our progress and see what we have found! He is excited to learn about archaeology and to see what we have uncovered. It reminds me why I became an archaeologist in the first place and gives me motivation to withstand the heat, push through the clay, and to recover the treasures hidden below the parking lot. Zach’s visits are also awesome because he brings us snacks! He clearly knows that the way to an archaeologist’s heart is through his/her stomach. Thank you Zach!

Emily Darko
Graduate Student

The Romance of Archaeology (or Lack Thereof)

2009-04-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Day 7 of the Heinlenville excavation. I’m here to dispel the myth of the glamorous and exciting career of archaeology. There are no bullwhips or subterranean caverns full of snakes and the Ark of the Covenant. Actually, it’s grueling, painful and after seven days straight, you are downright delirious. Seven days of this also causes an inability to string a grammatically correct sentence together, so for that, I apologize.

Our days are spent in the hot, hot sun. The temperature today is somewhere around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. There has been this cruel ice cream truck playing “Do Your Ears Hang Low” every day, right about the time when our bellies are empty, our brains are tired and sweat is dripping from our brows.

We did have some excitement today. A reporter for a local newspaper came and visited our site. Luckily he missed the time when I was in my newest yoga pose – Upper-Facing Archaeologist – which was caught on film for posterity. After impressing my colleagues with my fierce unit flexibility, I stood up and heard quite a few bones crack and pop. The numbness in my fingers has yet to come back and my hands are full of open wounds and blisters.

As you can imagine, archaeology isn’t for the faint of heart. It is hard work, but at the same time, highly rewarding. Our job is to figure out the histories of those individuals who were not fully recognized or accurately portrayed in the written documents of their time. It would be a tragedy if their histories were lost or misinterpreted.

Mr. Heinlen was a pioneer of his time. While his contribution may not have greatly changed the effects of the entire anti-Chinese sentiment in the western United States, he was a positive force in the lives of those individuals who were lucky enough to reside in his community. His humility and courage to do what was right for individuals who were treated unfairly is what drives us to plow through these grueling, hot days. We are here to help continue his work and let Heinlen’s vision be revisited by current and future generations.

Wow, that makes us sound as if we’re superhuman. We’re all very humble people, but at the end of the day, when we get back to our hotel rooms, peel off our dirty clothes and pop open a delicious cold beer, we can sit back and know all of our hard work contributed something significant to the local community.

Karen Reichardt
Graduate Student

Thea here, good day to you all.

2009-04-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

I want to tell everyone about the tours I gave yesterday during public day.

Naomi, AnnMarie and I were the tour guides and took tour groups around the site. We started them talking to Connie at the temple, because she had some really good pictures and she set the stage for why Chinatown moved to this place. It wasn’t as though they ‘fancied a move’, as Adrian said. It was because they were burned out of their original settlement by racist anti-Chinese riots.

One of the people asked why this German guy Heinlen would go to such lengths to help and protect the Chinese. She said it may be because he was from Ohio and people there were very anti-German. German churches were burned, and Germans experienced prejudice just like the Chinese had. It may have invoked empathy in Heinlen. At risk to himself and his family he leased land to the Chinese and even built a fence to help protect them.

One person on my second or third tour was a man who knew families of people who used to live in the Japantown area. As I was pointing out the historic building that is now a Cuban restaurant, he informed me that it used to be a gambling hall. He said that if you look through the alley, there is still this huge fence behind the back door. Apparently they built that fence so the high rollers couldn’t easily escape without paying their bill, and the fence survives today as a remnant.

At the end of the tour as I focused the group’s attention on the three surviving buildings, I tried to stress the importance of being aware that parts of this historic settlement still exist. It isn’t well known, and most of the community doesn’t pay attention. But the past still echoes through; in the original bricks that poke out of the modern stucco; in the shards of broken ceramics that lie inches under the feet of community.

Exposing the public to the richness of San Jose’s past not only facilitates a vast appreciation among the members of the community that joined us on our tours, but will hopefully trickle through more and more people as the friends that joined us talk about their adventures. This is how parts of the past, many of which have been glossed over by the history books, live on to increase the richness and substance of one of California’s most wonderful cities.

Thea Fuerstenberg
Graduate Student

Reflections on Public Day

2009-04-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Hello, My Dear Friends, we are your bloggers for the evening. We had a busy day in the hot sun and now we are lounging poolside together discussing the festivities of yet another successful public day. Let us share some our thoughts with you...

Carrie: I was one of the hard working people in the trenches. It might come as a surprise, but archaeology is pretty grueling work! It was warm out today and my fingers are still regaining sensation back from troweling for four hours straight. Having said that, seeing the public’s enthusiasm witnessing us in action made all the sunburned necks and farmer’s tans worth while.

Mike: This year more of the open area exposures were in process of being cleared rather than tested. The crew will have to finish about four features a day for the rest of the project.

Anna: As always it was entertaining hearing Adrian give his spiel about ceramics during the tour. He even received a round of applause at the end.

Bryan Much: It is always a humbling experience working on a site while the visitors ask questions about where their ancestors once lived…the intrinsic experience that defines why we are archaeologists.

Sandra: Working the front entrance gate was surprisingly fun, since it gave me the opportunity to find out why our visitors came to the site - about their interests in archaeology, their communities, and the history of their city.

Kate: As the photographer, I had the unique perspective of taking many tours with different groups. I feel that I got to see what the visitors saw – the big picture. I was so proud of my fellow archaeologists who were working so hard in the heat to make sure everyone had a good time and the site was well interpreted.

AnnaMarie: As one of the tour guides, it was amazing to see not only how interested but how invested the public was in what we were doing. Sometimes as archaeologists, we get lost in the science and often forget that without the actual people, archaeology itself would not exist. Archaeology is after all, first and foremost, about people, a fact that sometimes even archaeologists themselves forget.

Elaine-Maryse: As the oral historian I had the opportunity to interview Ed and Moffet, two old-timers that I had interviewed last year. They told great stories from their childhood and reminiscent about their life experiences in the same area that we are now excavating. It brought the cold asphalt alive.

Bryan Mischke: Hello from trench 11; we had a great day figuring out our feature but I’ll let you see all that at a later date…

And with that, we wish you a hearty goodnight – ‘cause we’re beat!

A. Guerrero, C. Reichardt, and K. Erickson;
(Grad students and grad student/photographer)
S. Massey, M. Meyer, B. Much, and B. Mischke;
(staff archaeologists)
E-M Solari (oral historian )
and A. Much (volunteer/wife.)

Exporing Feature 151

2009-04-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

What looked yesterday like a small, gravelly depression in a trench otherwise made of compacted clay, today took on a whole new dimension…

My name is Kristin Converse – I’m a graduate student at Sonoma State and a part-time employee of the Anthropological Studies Center. For the past two days I and Brian Mischke have been excavating feature number 151, which although it started out as an unassuming little dimple, has turned up some interesting artifacts and an ever-evolving story.

After a backhoe removed the modern asphalt and fill, and after the historic-era surface was scraped, mapped, and photographed, Brian and I began hand troweling the fill from the feature. Artifacts soon appeared and the outline of a pit began to take shape. We removed, among other things, half of a child-sized jade bracelet; the jawbone of a medium-sized mammal; a handful of buttons; fish bones; bird bones; a half dozen small glass ‘go’-type game pieces, a rectangular piece of translucent tortoise shell, the rim of a soy sauce bottle, and an intact, but cracked bowl in the ‘bamboo’ or ‘three circles with dragonfly’ pattern.

By noticing, differentiating, and following the changes in soil texture, we explored the northern extent of feature 151, leaving the southern half intact in order to reveal a good cross-section of the soil filling our feature. Several noticeable differences in the fill we were excavating had us scratching our heads, until we found the remains of vertically-placed lumber at right angles. Suddenly it appeared that we might have the remains of a wood-lined privy or outhouse on our hands (pun intended)! The later discovery of red clay sewer pipe extending into the pit, led us to believe that the privy had been plumbed subsequent to its original operation. And, late in the day, when our neighboring excavators discovered additional trenching aiming directly towards us, it appeared we might, in fact, be digging up the remains of a two-seater. Nevertheless, as the saying goes:

A crappy day in the field beats a great day in the office!!

Kristin Converse
Graduate Student

Working with the backhoe

2009-04-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Hi there. I’m the guy who gets to play with a backhoe everyday. Name is Mike Stoyka. I wear many hats. In a lab environment I’m usually looking intently at various bones. Instead I’m out here watching a back hoe dig, and clean up after it with a hoe and shovel. Sounds like hard work you say? ... Yes actually it is, but it is very important work.

First of all there is safety. It is good to have people on staff, who are experienced with this sort of thing. They need to be able to observe the mechanical excavation closely enough to notice changes in soil type, artifact concentrations, or features such as wells, privies or foundations. This responsibility, while desirable (protect the cultural resource, and minimize impact by the machine) must happen without getting your head taken off by the backhoe bucket; or, getting run over by the machine. Or, getting hit by a 2,000 lb. piece of concrete … well, you get the picture. Safety is no accident!

Today we cleared a large area. The rectangle was covered with multiple layers of concrete and asphalt which had already been cut with a saw. The paving materials had to be pulled up and separated into material type for later disposal and ultimately recycling. Below this was a layer 6 to 12 inches thick of imported fill that was bedding for the paving. Immediately below this medium orange/brown fill soil we found the historic-period soils we are interested in, which consist of very compact clay rich soil imbedded with primarily artifacts of Asian origin and rounded gravels. This was a case where sometimes you have to make a decision to make a sacrifice in order to find the features you are interested in. The Historic-period mixed “smear” is not necessarily feature or lot specific. We prefer to find discreet features and deposits so we can be more specific about our studies and conclusions. We went through the upper portion of this soil and fortuitously collected any interesting artifacts that came up.

OK, enough about how. We ended up finding a series of post holes on the 8th street side of the lot. This area would have been the farthest part of the back yard for the residents. We are hoping to figure out whether these posts are from a lot/fence line, or are the footings for a raised structure of some sort. We simply don’t know. I have to work very hard, and diligently direct the back hoe to find interesting features to keep the rest of the crew busy.

Another find was something we were hoping for, and found other examples of last year. The much anticipated redwood sewer lines. Curiously enough we found a little chronology of the sequence for sewage conveyance on the block. We found a ferrous (iron-based) line which is the most recent, a glazed terra cotta (clay) line somewhere in the middle, and the earliest lines which were rectangular and boxed. We were hoping for this because of special studies. This is a sealed richly organic deposit which is literally a direct link to the people who lived and spent time here. We can use flotation to find micro-constituents such as seeds, and we can send samples off to be tested for any parasites the residents may have had in their digestive system. A parasite that can only be found in Asia would be very critical information.

So, I get to make the discoveries, and hopefully save what’s left of the resources. Then I pass them along to my friends and colleagues who will (hopefully) figure them out. We’ll find out more later, and relay the details. For me it’s off to another exposure and more of the same. Who can dig faster, a back hoe or me? I’m not going to say, but I bet I’m a little sorer at the end of the day. Getting to dig the features makes it all worth it though.

Mike Stoyka
Archaeologist

Day 1 – Archaeologists and students arrive on site

2009-04-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

As we arrived at the site Tuesday afternoon, I was feeling both nervous and excited as I did not know what to expect, in terms of excavation and what types of artifacts and features we would be finding. As soon as the entire crew arrived on site, Mike Meyer and Erica Gibson oriented us to the project and to what the goals of the excavation were.

Meyer pointed out that the numbers that were spray painted in red on the cement were actually addresses from the houses and buildings that once made up Heinlenville. It is slightly daunting to know that just beneath the asphalt upon which you are standing, someone’s house or businesses once stood. After the initial orientation, he pointed to the trench that was just beginning to be cleared out by the backhoe and gave us the go ahead to start grabbing shovels, hoes, hard hats and safety vests.

The backhoe was able to clear out the big chunks of fill and it was our job to sort of clean up after the backhoe and to get the rest of the gravel and loose dirt out of the trench and scrape down to the clay to expose any features. This particular trench was actually exposing buildings that were actually the beginnings of Japantown. It’s a little scary to work right across from the backhoe and you learn pretty quickly how to make eye contact with its operator so you don’t get knocked unconscious by getting hit with the bucket. Luckily Mike Stoyka was there to keep an eye on us and to sort of help to run interference between us and the heavy machinery.

Adrian also had to give myself and a couple of the other newer members of the crew lessons in shoveling. There’s definitely an “art form” to shoveling, and a method that is supposed to help to keep us from getting too tired out so they can get more work out of us.

As we moved down through the trench it was exciting to see some artifacts being uncovered beneath a mass of dirt and gravel. Shoveling and scraping the clay was probably fun for about the first hour, but, by the end of the first day, all of us were pretty tired, and we hadn’t even finished the entire first trench yet.

Annamarie Guerrero
Graduate Student

Return to Heinlenville

2009-03-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

In just over a month, ASC archaeologists will be returning to San José to investigate selected areas of Heinlenville and early Japantown. Fieldwork is scheduled for 14 to 23 April 2009. This work follows up on ASC’s March 2008 test excavations at the site. The blog entries from last year’s work followed our progress and gave the perspective of archaeologists, students, volunteers, and a local historian.

Once work resumes we will update the community on our current activities. Planned excavations include further examination of the Ng Shing Gung Temple site, the Chinese Theater site, and portions of Japantown.

Our blog resumes from the field on the 14th April 2009.

Come visit us in person at our Open House on Saturday 18th April 2009 from 1 to 4:00 p.m. (Follow the link to find out more)

Back at the Lab

2008-07-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

Finally I am back in the lab at the ASC, having spent the last couple of months out on various field projects. Now I am ready to devote time to the San Jose Heinlenville/Nihonmachi lab work. What many people do not realize is just how time-consuming lab work can be. Now everyone will find out…

In addition to the boxes of artifacts brought back from San Jose, we also had a large bag of soil to process. This latter was recovered from a feature on the last day of fieldwork; we simply did not have time to screen it in the field so we brought it back to the lab. Once I opened the bag I realized that there was no way this was going to sift through our screens; when I dumped it into the screen it kept the shape of the bucket! I hauled the screen out to the yard and proceeded to use water from a hose to push the soil through, leaving the artifacts behind in the screen. These artifacts and animal bones, along with all of the others recovered from across the site were then painstakingly washed with toothbrushes and left to dry in drying racks.

A few days later, when the artifacts are dry, lab processing continues with labeling using pen and ink. Each and every artifact or bone is labeled with a number. The number correlates to the layer in the trench or feature from which the item came. Sometimes we make a game of the process, trying to see who can write the smallest, least obvious but still legible numbers. I used to be a champ.

Finally we begin to sort and catalog the artifacts. By labeling each of them we are free to mix and match them without fear of losing any location information. I randomly began with Feature 102 from Trench 3. Sorting is probably one of my favorite things to do in the lab: lay out all of the artifacts and put all the broken pieces—the plates and bowls and bottles—back together, kind of like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. For analysis, we need to know how many bowls we have, not how many pieces of bowls. You might have five pieces from a single bowl or five pieces from three different bowls.

Our first feature, No. 102, has 665 fragments of items for a minimum number of 218 objects. There are many fragments of Chinese porcelain bowls, plates and spoons in an assortment of designs, colorless glass dishes and a tumbler. There are also several food storage vessels made of Chinese Brown Glazed Stoneware and a glass canning jar and canning jar lid. A small electric light bulb may have been used in a flashlight. More than 100 nails and tacks were recovered as well as an assortment of metal items. A few stray fragments of opium bowls and liquor bottles were recovered. A few amorphous melted items, lots of window glass, several clothing buttons, a white glass lamp shade, and a milk bottle were also found.

All of these items are analyzed, cataloged and entered into a database. At the same time as cataloging we try to assign a date of manufacture to the artifacts, either by researching the mark on the artifact or studying how the artifact was made. For this feature there are several marked items: a plate manufactured in England between 1891 and 1897, a Best Foods condiment jar made sometime after 1903, and an aqua glass Gordon’s Gin bottle manufactured after 1908. Based on this information, we know that the feature was created sometime after 1908, the latest date.

Now that everything has been washed, labeled, cataloged and entered we begin to photograph the artifacts and prepare them for final boxing. Artifact tags with provenience information, counts, and description are printed out from the database. The artifacts are then displayed, by feature, and photographed. We call this photograph the “Layout,” it gives a good visual look at all of the artifacts recovered from a feature. Smaller artifact groups are pulled for more detailed “vignette” shots. Once photographed, the artifacts are placed in plastic bags along with their artifact tags and put in archive boxes for permanent storage.

Erica Gibson
Lab Manager, ASC

Status Report

2008-04-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed recent additions have been few and far between. Right now our energies have shifted to processing the artifacts that we brought back from San Jose. Once the analysis is complete, our Lab Manager, Erica Gibson, will write an update.

In the meantime, you could check out our current field project in San Francisco, Merrie Way Stands, near the site of the Sutro Baths.

If you visit our main web site at
http://www.sonoma.edu/asc
you can also read more about ongoing
and past projects.

Maria Ribeiro
ASC Staff

An Oral Historian’s (and Former Archaeologist’s) View of Heinlenville

2008-04-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

It is always bittersweet for me to go into the field and watch archaeologists do the work I did in my youth. Due to injuries I no longer excavate. I miss it. I miss grubbing around in the dirt. As a child my mom would compare me to Pigpen in the Peanuts comic strip. As an adult working on a dig, I often had the distinction of having the dirtiest face at the end of the day. I miss the anticipation and hope of what the next shovelful of dirt will uncover. Usually it was more dirt; but when I found an obsidian flake, a pottery sherd, or a bone fragment I felt like I had discovered a treasure. I miss the camaraderie of working with a crew. And yet, being an oral historian has rewards of its own.

I feel the same sense of discovery when I interview “old-timers” about their lives. What will a former resident of Heinlenville remember about going to temple? About playing games in the streets? About celebrating with the community? Combining peoples’ memories with the archaeology and the historical research can bring the story “alive” by adding a richness, a vibrancy, a tie to the next generation that archaeology alone can lack.

When cousins Edward Chin and Vincent Chan were reminiscing about their childhood in Heinlenville, Edward Chin laughingly told me about the mischief of his youth. As a prank the boys would get rotten eggs and place them on their teacher’s chair in Chinese school. When the teacher chased them with a switch they would run like the dickens. The boys were prepared for this event, explains Mr. Chan, they would wear heavy clothing like leather jackets to protect their backs. A person’s more mundane memories are equally valuable. Tad Kogura, for example, remembered where residents dumped their trash, which is of vital interest to archaeologists.

Several months ago, due to the much appreciated effort of Hatsue Shiroyama, I had the opportunity of interviewing some members of the Japanese Reunion group about their memories of Heinlenville and Nihonmachi. (Ralph Pearce videotaped this interview, a copy of which is archived in the Japanese American Museum in San Jose.) Interviewing six people at once—a first for me—was quite an experience. It was fascinating to watch and hear the members bounce their memories off each other. Hatsue Shiroyama, for example, recalled the experiences of her family running the bathhouse an important institution in the Japanese community.

Elaine-Maryse Solari
ASC Oral Historian

A Graduate Student's View of Heinlenville

2008-03-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

As a first year graduate student in Sonoma State’s Cultural Resources Management masters program, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to participate in the excavations done in San Jose’s Heinlenville Chinatown. As this was my introduction to urban archaeology, I was able to learn a lot about how the pro’s from the ASC approach the archaeology of a large city block- as well as receive a few valuable pointers of the fine art of trowel manipulation!

Over the week we were able to step back in time as our trusty backhoe driver skillfully peeled back the modern layers of asphalt and gravely fill and revealed the humble traces of the once thriving community of Heinlenville. Although much soil was scraped away during the construction of the recently demolished buildings, we were still left with a map illustrating decades of occupation and use long buried beneath the modern surface.

Patches of the original building foundations were neatly preserved, as well as several “robber’s trenches” where the valuable bricks had been removed for re-use after the razing of the buildings. In one pit, one could see the “evolution of the sewer pipe” as evident from the progression from redwood (yes, wood!) sewer lines, to the more familiar terracotta pipes that can still be seen today.

This project not only offered me a chance to learn more about archaeology as a science, but I was able to witness first hand how important archeology is to the community. Long time residents eagerly watched our progress and offered up historical anecdotes, and Connie Young Yu was able to witness the unveiling of her grandfather’s store. After half a century under asphalt, she was able to see and touch the remnants of a place she had heard stories of her whole life.

I had the good fortune to be enlisted as a tour guide on our “Public Day”, and was able to connect with hundreds of enthusiastic visitors and neighborhood residents interested in the history and archaeology of San Jose’s early Chinese and Japanese populations. People who waited in long lines, braved the rain and cold wind, and yet were still cheery and full of good questions. Although I manned my post as tour guide for five hours straight, the energy and enthusiasm of the participants made my job fun and engaging.

At the tail end of the last tour, while overlooking the foundations of Connie Young Yu’s family store, a young boy earnestly asked, “Is that the Great Wall of China?” While the modest brick foundation may not have the illustrious reputation of China’s great wall, the wonder in the little boy’s eyes was undiscriminating. It is that same wonder that makes the blisters, sunburns, aches and pains, and inevitable coating of grime all worth while!

I was so happy to have been a part of such a fun and community supported project! The people were interested and friendly, the neighborhood had great food (we particularly loved the Ethiopian restaurant across the street), and everyone enthusiastically shared the common goal of bringing the town of Heinlenville back to life.

Chelsea Rose
CRM Graduate Student, SSU

Open House Heinlenville and Nihonmachi Archaeology — Sat. March 15th, 2008

2008-03-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

The community event, sponsored by the Anthropological Studies Center (ASC) and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San José was on the 5th day of the rotation, and there was no telling how many people would show up, especially in weather that suddenly turned inclement. While the team was setting up that morning, there was intermittent rain (plus a bit of hail). This “open house” was more like an “open field day,” with the team out there draining the ditches of water.

In the whipping wind, Annita tacked down her “exhibits,” moving easels with photos and maps and improvising alternative set-ups. Archaeologists are unfazed by anything and ready for everything, I’ve learned. An hour before the start, as our team of guides and site interpreters gathered for a briefing by Adrian and Julia, there was already a crowd with umbrellas, gathering at the gate on Taylor Street.

Then they came in, wave after wave. Families with young children, elderly residents from the neighborhood, many an official “V.I.P.,” reporters and a boy scout troop; from the South Bay, but also Oakland, Lafayette, Mendocino, and Sacramento. People responded as if it was truly a unique, once in a lifetime event. A history area set up by Leslie was a source of orientation and information. Each group was taken on a guided tour on a route that went to each of the open trench sites. Field Director Mike Meyer had marked in color Cleveland Ave. and store sites so visitors had a sense of the imprint of Heinlenville.

Tour leaders, armed with maps, explained the layout of the town and narrated the community’s unique history as well. The archaeologist, stationed at each trench site gave an authoritative but friendly presentation to each rotating group. Over and over. And answered question after question. (“Is that the Great Wall of China” asked a tiny kid of Bryan who was showing the brick foundation at 34 Cleveland.) The first trench, was at the site of the store of May Wah (head of Hop Sing Tong) where pig bones were found.

Children were thrilled for the chance to do some screening themselves and find artifacts—a hands-on archaeological experience for all ages.

Down the street was the site of my Grandfather’s store, Kwong Wo Chan, now with an easel in front with a picture of the store, photos of my dad, John C. Young, biking down Cleveland, and my grandmother with her neighbors. At the trench of the restaurant, Ken Ying Low, I noticed that people wanted to handle the porcelain pieces, and Mike S. said, “go ahead, touch it, it’s survived a hundred years.”

The last stop, where I was stationed most of the time, was the site of the Ng Shing Gung Temple, center of the Chinese community and heart of its culture. There at the corner of Taylor and 6th I had the expansive view of Cleveland Avenue and people walking towards me. The clouds had scattered and the sky was big and bright. This is the same fung swei my ancestors felt in 1887. When the visitors gathered around, I was inspired to tell them of the scene my father described: how on the eve of every feast day, the Lunar New Year or Dai Jui, people would come out of their stores with pots and bowls to go to the mui (temple) for their share of the “jai” prepared by the caretaker and blessed by two Taoist priests. I even gave the recipe, which I learned through oral history to me from my grandparents. People seemed fully engaged in the tour and impressed by the significance of what they saw.

I wanted to express how I felt about the spirit of the people who lived here, their struggle against exclusion, and how they had a home base here for 44 years because of the courage of John Heinlen, but I think they had already gotten it by now.

For me, as a historian and descendant of this Chinese community, it was a deeply involving personal experience, with even some surprising revelations. Folks told me stories—they shared their memories. A Filipino couple who used to live in the area said they had been in the temple as curious children, and described how dark and mysterious it was, with incense burning.

I guided two elderly men, Ed and Vince Chin, cousins who met up for the first time in ten years—at this Open House—to the site of my grandfather’s store. I pointed to the photos and asked questions and learned more than I expected. Ed Chin used to live on 6th street and knew my grandparents and dad. Vince lived at his family store next to my grandfather’s. He walked silently and slowly with a cane, but the place evoked his memories. He suddenly told of how he used to peek through the wooden cracks of the walls and watch my Grandmother. I asked cautiously, what was she doing? He responded vigorously, “Making whiskey!”

At the end of the Open House, working without a break, everyone on the team was hoarse, parched, hungry and exhausted, but smiling and up because of the enthusiastic turnout. Many visitors expressed their enthusiasm and gratitude upon leaving. One guest told me, how wonderful the tour was, that it was “like a PBS experience!”

“Come and See Archaeology in Action” said the announcement and 540 people came and did just that. It was an amazing day. I want to say Julia, Adrian, Charlene, Annita, Mike M., Mike S., Mark, Charlie, Chelsea, Erica, Sandra, Bryan, Maria, Leslie, Rut, Erin, Elaine-Maryse, Bryan and Anna, every single one of the crew and volunteers who made this day happen! Well done!

Connie Young Yu

Artifact Show and Tell - Archaeology Open House

2008-03-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

It’s two days after Public Day and I’m still tired. Like many of us, I was assigned to man a single station. By myself. As ASC Lab Manager the artifact table was a natural selection. I felt quite smug that morning when I set up an “Easy-Up” to provide shelter from the rain for the artifacts and, just as importantly, myself. I soon recognized the folly of my ways. Only a few passing showers appeared and I was left shivering in the shade as the wind picked up throughout the day. By the final hour I was literally holding onto the shelter to keep it from blowing away into the Porto-lets located just behind me.

Those scattered showers and high winds did nothing to curb the public in their interest in archaeology. More than 500 people came to visit the site… and the artifact table which was covered with the fruits of our labors to date. Probably the most asked about group of artifacts were the Chinese medicine vials, often mistakenly assumed to be opium bottles. These small, thick-walled, tapered vials are often found on archaeological sites and typically contained a single dose of a liquid medicine or a small quantity of pills. Opium, a thick sticky substance, would have been impossible to remove from these vials.

Among the finds from the project was a grinding stone with a wonderfully smooth surface over which the kids liked to run their fingers. Several visitors spent some time explaining to me exactly how the stone was used; one gentleman went into great detail as he had toiled many an hour as a youngster using the same type of grinding stone in his mother’s kitchen. His family would soak soybeans overnight and then feed them into the hole on the top of the stone. As he used a sturdy stick to turn the stone and grind the beans, soy milk would be caught in a lower, wider grooved stone while soy paste would be held in the stone. He informed me that product was “very nutritious”.

All who came to visit the artifact table found something of interest. Children were as curious about the food bones I had set out for display (an assortment of pig’s feet, chicken, and cow) as they were the bone toothbrush and porcelain doorknob. I could feel the sincere pleasure of several elderly Chinese women when they viewed the items on the table, things that may have been used by their parents and grandparents. Local historians were intrigued with a silver knife handle from the Hotel Vendome, a first-class hotel in San Jose which was built in 1888 and later demolished in 1930. Truly, there was a little something for everyone!

Erica Gibson
Lab Manager &
ASC Archaeologist

View from a Trench: Archaeology Open House

2008-03-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

The rest of the crew solemnly avowed that I was the one of the few members who had the intellect and the ability to write a blog entry. Deeply honoured, I agreed to write on the public day we had yesterday. So tonight, after work hours, that is what I am doing. The rest of the crew is at a bar.

"The View from a Trench" is kind of a standard title for archaeological papers, but that is all I can offer. I literally went into a trench at 11:00 am at the start of public day and (other than one hasty potty break) did not come out again until 4:00 pm. I have no idea what went on in the other trenches. I have no idea what went on anywhere. For me it was 5 hours of standing in a muddy 30-ft square pit and expounding on my three features to group after group after group. My three features were a robbed-out foundation trench for a Chinese tenement, a wood-lined sewer, and a later trench for a terracotta sewer-pipe.

I talked about the process of exposing feature stains, excavating sections to identify and date them, and I talked about the nature of backyards in the late 19th and early 20th century. I talked about sewer hookups and privies and trash disposal. I talked non-stop for 5 hours. At the end of the day my jaw ached and my lips were numb. I was hungry because I didn't get lunch AT ALL. Did I mention I only got one potty break?

It sounds bad but it wasn't bad. I really didn't notice that I hadn't had lunch, when normally I start citing union rules and labor law if lunch is called 5 minutes late. I can't speak for the audience but the public day was exciting for the archaeologists. The number of people was far more than we anticipated. Far more. It was gratifying and a bit unexpected to see that level of public interest in the archaeology and in the history of Heinlenville and Nihonmachi. I was near the end of the tour, and people still seemed alert and interested. Given that each tour was about 40 minutes and I was waxing eloquent on the significance of sewer pipes and trash pick-up, the visitors may have just been unusually polite. Or maybe they had used our on-site porta-johns and really understood the utility of a fully functioning sewer line. But I think it was more than that.

Sewer lines, porcelain bowls and spoons, a discarded reel of movie film—these are all incredibly mundane. But it is because they are so mundane that they have power. Archaeology is not about great events, famous people, and great architecture and art. It is about regular people getting by the best that they can, often under difficult circumstances. These are things with which most people can empathize. The importance of this site lies not only in the decency of John Heinlen, but in the lives the inhabitants of Heinlenville and Nihonmachi managed to create for themselves, even amidst the looming threat of mob violence and legislative repression.

Mark Walker
ASC Archaeologist

Looking for Artifacts – Archaeology Open House

2008-03-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

During our Open House, I worked at the artifact screening station, where visitors had a chance to try their hand at archaeology. Kids and adults experienced firsthand the process of archaeological excavation as they searched through soil that we had excavated earlier this week. They found artifacts used during the area’s historic-period occupation, including fragments of food bones, tools, dishes, and food storage containers. These artifacts will go back to our ASC lab for analysis, and will help us to tell the stories of the people who used them.

Sandra Massey
ASC Archaeologist

Ng Shing Gung Temple Uncovered

2008-03-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

We worked today to uncover the Ng Shing Gung Temple. This temple was the religious and cultural heart of the Heinlenville community. The top story of the two-story building contained the community altar, while the bottom story was used for community meetings and the children’s Chinese language school. A replica of the temple was built at Kelley Park, San Jose.

Using the backhoe, we stripped the asphalt and gravel fill on what we thought to be the location of the temple based on historic maps. Our first indication that we might have picked the right spot was a rough line of old bricks. The bricks fell along the alignment of what would have been the temple wall. The backhoe stripped off more asphalt to give us a better look and found the corner and foundations of the temple that would have fronted the old Cleveland Street. In many ways, this is one of the most exciting things we could have found. It is a tangible link between today’s Chinese American community in San Jose and its historic heart.

Archaeologists of the Anthropological Studies Center (ASC)

Going Around Aground

2008-03-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

We’re getting down and dirty and finding not only the buried Chinatown and Japantown structural beginnings but also a sense of the communities once so vibrant on this site. I have been entrusted with being one of the community volunteers “embedded” with the archeologists and historians working on this project. Though unschooled in the procedures, I’m learning from the archaeologists how a project is approached, what careful steps are required in handling the material, how information is analyzed, and … how very hard it is on your knees.

This first phase is the sampling of potential fruitful sites in the historic Heinlenville and Nihonmachi areas. The archeologists and historians have targeted some of the most likely sites from the old Sanborn Fire Insurance maps – and like buried treasure, things are being found where the maps have indicated. The first site dug was on the Sanborn map identified as a “Chinese Theater.” No theatrical paraphernalia was found but many chips of porcelain, chunks of stoneware (what I have taken to calling “the brown stuff”), glass medicinal bottles, rusted nails, bone bits, and even a few mystery pieces were. The major artifact find was a half of a millstone. The question now being asked used by whom and for what? Chinese or Japanese use? Or someone else?

Nothing could be more personal than Chinese Historian Connie Young Yu’s watchful wait as the backhoe scooped up dirt from the area where her Grandfather’s store was located and the excitement of finding part of the wall from the building. Seeing Connie’s family pictures of Heinlenville really made the connection between the bricks buried in the dirt to a place where people lived and worked.

In another site (where I got to do a little archeological troweling, and found out where archeologists get carpal tunnel syndrome) drainage pipes and sewer drains were found and I learned more about the history of trash and sewer lines than I think I want to know.

The prize site was where Ng Shing Gung, the temple, was located. A portion of the wall was found and from that Archeologist Julia Costello and Historians Charlene Duval and Connie Young Yu began to outline the building’s layout. As probably the center of much of the community’s activities and the last building standing, it is hoped that this site will yield a great deal more information.

This is a great project for the community for not only through the archeology are the physical remains being unearthed, but as the project has continued, the living community has begun to unearth their personal histories. Individuals are bringing photographs and other materials to share and conveying the stories of what they remember or what their parents or grandparents recalled. Truly the re-discovery of the history through these many layers will make our forgotten communities become alive.

So, off to more moving of dirt with hopes of finding more great stuff, but maybe this time with a pair of kneepads.

Leslie Masunaga

Day 1: Heinlenville Excavation

2008-03-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the Heinlenville-Nihonmachi site on Tuesday morning. Previously, we had used historic maps to find out where Heinlenville’s streets, alleys, and buildings had once been located, and to select areas we wanted to test. Six test locations had been selected; a store, a restaurant, some backyard areas, and the location of the Ng Shing Gung temple.

When we arrived on site, the whole area was covered in asphalt. Using our historic maps, we marked out the locations of the historic streets and property corners. Our backhoe driver, Ryan, pulled up the asphalt covering our test locations, and then scraped away the layers of gravel fill in order to reach the historic ground surface. We knew when we reached this surface from changes in the color and texture of the soil. Soon we were able to see remnants of the foundations of the buildings that once stood on the site. We uncovered brick foundations of the store of Young Soong Quong, and found fragments of porcelain bowls and other artifacts.

Sandra Massey,
ASC Archaeologist

Heinlenville Dig Begins

2008-03-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends of Heinlenville

The Sonoma State U. archaeologists were on-site at the Corporation Yard site (aka "Heinlenville/Nihonmachi") early this morning, thanks to the city, and able to dig their trenches. The parking lot site was first and already has yielded shards of various pottery/glass, plus other small pieces including what looks like a bicycle or buggy hub. The other four trenches will be explored as the job progresses over these next ten days. These sites will include those of the Chinese temple, a restaurant and a store.

Enthusiasm is high for finding more significant pieces/features as the dig moves on. However, everyone has been slowed by the significant press coverage. Three of the major TV stations sent reporters out for several hours interviewing the archaeology teams and also Japantown community representatives Leslie Masunaga and myself, plus historian Connie Young Yu whose family store will be explored here. Additionally three of the Chinese newspapers, plus Chinese language TV's KTSF were also out on site. We have been in contact with these folks for weeks before the digging started, so I am happy to see that they are finding this so very "newsworthy"

I have contacted all of the big three Japanese American newspapers but so far I have not seen any coverage, so keep your fingers crossed for their reports. Perhaps the initial archaeology is more of a Chinese story, but as the dig goes on and especially as the entire project moves forward, then it will be a story for all the papers/TV stations, ethnic and otherwise. As I publicly remarked earlier, this story is not just local, but national and international in importance.

Your embedded reporter
Rod Lum
Japantown Community Congress member

Archaeology Open House

2008-03-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, 15 March from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the public is invited to an Archaeological Open House for the Heinlenville and Nihonmachi site. Entrance to the site is on Taylor Street, between Sixth and Seventh streets. Planned activities include guided tours, presentations from local historians and archaeologists, displays of artifacts and an opportunity to watch the crew members at work.

Groups of ten or more who want to attend the open house are asked to register by emailing annita.waghorn@sonoma.edu and include the estimated time of arrival.

Please note that minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Site History

2008-03-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

Heinlenville was constructed in 1887 by German immigrant and local businessman, John Heinlen in partnership with San José’s Chinese leaders after San José's Market Street Chinatown was destroyed by arson. It grew into a thriving community, home to storekeepers, laborers and their families. Heinlenville’s stores, restaurants and boarding houses became an important base for Chinese and Japanese immigrant agricultural workers in the Santa Clara valley.

By the early 1900s, a collection of wood-frame buildings containing both Japanese and Chinese homes and businesses grew along the Sixth Street frontage on the edge of Heinlenville. This area came to be called Nihonmachi or “Japan Town.” San José’s modern Japantown grew from these early beginnings.

Heinlenville declined in the late 1920s, as people moved elsewhere. After 1932 the community’s brick buildings were gradually demolished to make way for the City of San José Corporation Yard. The center of the community, the Ng Shing Gung temple was demolished in 1949. Japantown however, survived the World War II internments and continues to be a thriving community. Despite its demolition, the site of Heinlenville and early Nihonmachi remains important to the Santa Clara Chinese-American and Japanese-American communities.

History of Heinlenville and Nihonmachi (432 KB PDF)

Archaeology

2008-03-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

Today, the Heinlenville block bounded by Taylor, Jackson, Sixth and Seventh streets, in San Jose is slated for development. Archaeologists from the Anthropological Studies Center, Sonoma State University and local San Jose historians are working with the Redevelopment Agency, City of San José to unearth selected areas of Heinlenville and early Japantown. We hope to uncover the remains of houses, backyards, restaurants, and stores, as well as those of Heinlenville’s original Ng Shing Gung Temple. The excavation will continue for 10 days from 11 to 20 March 2008, and will help us understand the lives of early Chinese and Japanese settlers in San José.