Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial
About
What It Is
The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial is an outdoor commemorative exhibit on the south shore of Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island, Washington, situated next to Pritchard Park and the former Bainbridge Island ferry terminal [1]. It honors the 276 Japanese Americans who lived on the island when, in March 1942, 227 of them were ordered to leave with only six days' notice — the first Japanese American community in the entire country to be forcibly removed [1]. Administratively, the memorial is a unit of the Minidoka National Historic Site, based in Idaho [1]. Its guiding mission is expressed in the Japanese phrase Nidoto Nai Yoni, meaning "Let It Not Happen Again" [1].
Activities & Experiences
Visitors can walk through an outdoor cedar story wall bearing the names of all 276 Japanese Americans who were island residents at the time of the forced removal [1]. The wall features friezes created by local artist Steve Gardner depicting scenes of residents being led onto the ferries, offering a visual account of the events of March 30, 1942 [1]. The surrounding landscape was designed by architect Johnpaul Jones with native plantings including sword fern, mahonia, salal, and shore pine, creating a naturalistic setting for reflection [1].
Practical Access
The memorial is located on the south shore of Eagle Harbor, opposite the town of Winslow, adjacent to Pritchard Park and the former Bainbridge Island ferry terminal [1]. It opened to the public on July 30, 2011 [1]. No information on fees, hours, parking, transit, accessibility accommodations, or typical visit duration is provided in the available sources.
Restrictions
No specific restrictions noted in the sources.
What Makes It Distinctive
This site marks a singular moment in American civil liberties history: Bainbridge Island's Japanese American residents were the first in the nation to be incarcerated under Executive Order 9066, making this memorial the direct geographic point of that event [1]. The story wall records every one of the 276 residents by name, and the groundbreaking on March 30, 2009 — the 67th anniversary of the removal — was attended by Fumiko Hayashida, then 98, the oldest surviving internee and the subject of a widely recognized photograph taken on the day of departure [1]. As a unit of the Minidoka National Historic Site, it connects visitors to a broader network of sites documenting Japanese American internment, while remaining rooted in the specific community and landscape where the removal began [1].
Sources
- Open year-round
- Typical duration: 1h
Access & fees
- free admission
- no fee mentioned
Things to do
- self-guided outdoor visit
Events & seasons
- day of remembrance
Features
- native species landscaping
- outdoor cedar story wall
- sculptural friezes
- unit of minidoka nhs
Nearby
- pritchard park
Good to know
- opened july 30, 2011
- The memorial is located across Eagle Harbor from the current ferry terminal.
Photos
