Memorial to the Japanese restored

2010 PRESERVATION AWARDS from the Los Angeles Conservancy

Japanese Pioneer Memorial Restoration & Rededication
111 E. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster Cemetery District, Lancaster
Lancaster is one of the first cities in the nation to have a memorial to the Japanese. In the Pioneer Section of Lancaster Cemetery, at 111 East Lancaster Blvd., stands the 10-foot memorial to the early Japanese settlers.

Originally dedicated in 1938, the sierra white granite obelisk fell victim to the anti-Japanese sentiment of World War II.

In mid-1942, most of the Japanese families from the Antelope Valley were taken to an internment camp in Arizona. Soon thereafter, vandals toppled over the monument and broke the obelisk into pieces. Despite attempts by descendants to have the memorial repaired, it remained broken and neglected for sixty-five years.

In July 2007, the new director of historical research at Lancaster Cemetery came across a file labeled “ Japanese Monument.” She was so moved by the story that she sought out surviving family members, and they all agreed it was time to finally have the monument restored. The nonprofit Friends of the Lancaster Cemetery joined the project, and the group took on the challenge of funding, recreating, and rededicating the memorial.

A contractor and concrete specialist donated his time and expertise, and other community members pitched in throughout the project. The technical challenges were considerable, such as when the team learned that the obelisk had to be reconstructed—in India. Racing against the clock, the team obtained the new obelisk within days of the memorial’s rededication.

Local seventh-grade students also got involved, producing a book on the history of the Japanese American families and enlisted the entire school in making a thousand origami cranes to present to the families as a symbol of peace.
The memorial was rededicated on May 17, 2008 in a ceremony that reunited original families and garnered worldwide press coverage. After nearly seventy years, the people of Lancaster righted a wrong that had been done to their fellow citizens. The sheer dedication of the project team, and the broad involvement of the community, resulted in the reinstatement of an important tribute to unsung heroes of the Antelope Valley.

Involved in the project were:
Project Leads: Lancaster Cemetery District; Friends of the Lancaster Cemetery, Inc. – Bob Alvis, President
Contractor: Weese Concrete
Historic Preservation Consultant: Dayle DeBry, Director of Marketing & Historical Research, Lancaster Cemetery
Japanese American Family Liaison: Tom Shiokari
Monument Coordination & Installation: Permeco Monuments & Memorials
Community Sponsor: Lancaster West Rotary Club
Community Participants: Del Sur Middle School
Lancaster Cemetery District Manager: Barbara Little (retired)
Lancaster Cemetery Board of Trustees: Norman L. Hickling, Chairman; Dave Owens; Bruce Macpherson (newly appointed); Richard Cook (newly appointed)

The cemetery also has five Civil War veterans; almost 700 veterans of all wars; a memorial to the first person killed from the AV in World War II, and a replica of the WWII monument. In the future there will be a monument to the female pilots such as Pancho Barnes.