Archaeology field school digs into Japanese American history in Seattle, WA

An archaeology class from Edmonds (WA) Community College, led by Dr. Alicia Valentino, found remnants of what used to be part of an old family farm, the Green Lake Gardens Company, owned by the Kumasaka family. The site is now part of North Seattle College.

Edmonds (WA) CC students at dig site

The Kumasaka’s leased a small farm in 1911 and operated that until 1919. They moved to the current location and occupied it until 1968 when the area was bought by the college.

The Kumasaka family originally came here to establish a Christian Japanese community in Seattle. They intended to farm the area with celery as the main crop. They grew one crop of celery per year and the rest of the farm was devoted primarily to greenhouses. The family started with a few greenhouses but later expanded and added commercial greenhouses after the war.

The site was not only a working farm, but also, a community center for Japanese residents. As well as a meeting place for the community, the center was used to study arts, theater and judo.

This location was discovered in 2016 when a pedestrian bridge project over I-5 was being assessed. As part of that assessment, the history of the property was researched and it was discovered that the Kumasakas had lived there.

Green Lake Gardens Company

After some initial probing it was determined that the top three feet consisted of mixed debris including broken glass from the greenhouse and flowerpots. Also found were some hand painted porcelain rice bowls. 

The artifacts were brought back to Edmonds College. Students will continue to process and catalog them this fall. Once everything is cataloged and a report written, many of the artifacts will be sent to a local museum for permanent curation.