Representatives of Historic Wintersburg Conservancy at OCO Natsu Matsuri, held at Tanaka Farms in Irvine on Aug. 29. From left: Anna Gaytan, Ernie Nishii, Mark Bixby, Mitchell Matsumura. Not pictured: Pat Goodman.
Historic Wintersburg Conservancy, in its third year of existence, is on track to rebuild one of the last standing Japanese American church-farm communities in Orange County.
With a steady progression of grants and achievements, starting with the George and Sakaye Aratani CARE grant, 2026 has been an astounding year of growth for Historic Wintersburg.
Newly designated on the California Register of Historical Resources, Historic Wintersburg’s partnerships with Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation (APIAHiP), Preserve OC, Ocean View School District, Tuna Canyon Detention Station, and Republic Services has enabled it to earn its first construction grant.
The grant will be the first step in reversing over 50 years of decline and beginning the process of preserving, protecting, and restoring over 100 years of history.
“Preservation funding at-large is already limited, and even harder to secure for historic sites related to underrepresented histories of under-resourced communities,” said Huy Pham, executive director of APIAHiP. “We are proud to provide meaningful funding for the growing demand to preserve places crucial to telling our nation’s Asian and Pacific Islander American history.”
Historic Wintersburg was part of a competitive pool of over 60 qualified applicants, only 14 of which were able to receive funding.This illustrates the clear need for preservation funding dedicated to Asian and Pacific Islander American historic sites and reinforces APIAHiP’s commitment to providing resources for these places.
“These funds come at a critical time in our plan to develop this site for future generations,” stated Ken Inouye, vice president of Historic Wintersburg Conservancy. “Building the foundations is an important concrete step to laying the groundwork for full restoration. Interlinked with the incarceration experience, which weakened the Japanese American community, restoring Historic Wintersburg will enable future generations to learn from the mistakes of the past and build a brighter future.”
“This site has been a dormant eyesore for so long, as a long-time resident and board member I am so happy to see Republic engaging the community to rebuild this resource. Finally I can see the end of the rainbow,” stated Patricia Goodman.
The purpose of APIAHiP’s Placekeepers Fund is to distribute resources directly to communities that are working to document, recognize, and preserve historic sites that are important to Asian and Pacific Islander American history.
APIAHiP also provides technical preservation services, community engagement workshops, and advocacy support. For more information, contact info@apiahip.org.
For more information on Historic Wintersburg, visit: https://historicwintersburg.blogspot.com/