Dig into San José’s Past – Archaeology Days at History Park On Sunday, April 29 and Sunday, May 20 from 11 AM to 4 PM
San José, CA – April 4, 2012 – Dig Into San José’s Past with Stanford Archaeology Center students at History Park. The students will assist visitors by conducting a mock excavation, screening, artifact identification and artifact reconstruction on Sunday, April 29 and Sunday, May 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On Sunday, April 29 at History Park, this family educational program will allow individuals to collect stickers for each activity to place in Archaeology Passports and become ‘certified’ as a Junior Archaeologist. The trolley will be available for a ride around the park, as well as handcar rides. Other activities will include visits to the Print Shop and live music by Fiddle Road throughout the afternoon.
Making fish kites will help celebrate Japanese Children’s Day, and Chinese dragon hats will coincide with the reading of Chinese folk tales, such as Tales of a Chinese Grandmother.
Rae Chang and Adam Tow will be available to present their movie documentary on China’s first feminist, Autumn Gem, which will screened at 2 PM in the first floor conference room inside the Pacific Hotel. Autumn Gem is a film about Qui Jim (1875-1907 a radical women's rights activist who defied tradition to become the leader of a revolutionary army. She attempted an armed uprising against the Quing Dynasty and became the first female martyr for China's 1911 Revolution.
Then on Sunday, May 4 History San Jose and Happy Hollow Park and Zoo will celebrate with Kelley Park neighbor, the Japanese Friendship Garden.
Coincidentally, this year on May 4th marks the 125th anniversary of the fire that destroyed downtown San José’s Chinatown, where today’s Fairmont Hotel stands on Market Street.John Heinlen, a local businessman, braved death threats to lease property to the displaced Chinese people at Taylor and Sixth Streets. It then became known as Heinlenville, in what is today’s Japantown in San Jose.
Besides ‘Digging Up San José’s Past’ at the Sunday, May 20th Archaeology Day, History San José will recognize the month of May as Asian American Heritage Month.
To celebrate Asian American Heritage, there also will be Samarai hat-making, Vietnamese lanterns, Chinese drums and more.
As afiliates of History San José, the Ng Ching Gung of the Chinese Heritage Cultural Project (CHCP) and the Immigrant Resettlement & Cultural Center (IRCC), the Museum of the Boat People & Republic of Vietnam , located inside History Park, will be open.
# # #
About History San José:
History San José is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the continuing history of the Santa Clara Valley. HSJ manages one of the largest and most comprehensive regional history collections in the State of California, from 1784 Spanish governmental records to twenty-first century Silicon Valley technology. History San José aspires to provide innovative national leadership in preserving and sharing regional history by engaging diverse audiences in exploring the varieties of human experience that contributes to the continuing history of San José and the Santa Clara Valley.
History San José 1650 Senter Road San José, CA 95112
408.287.2290