Asian & Pacific Islanders Heritage

Filipino American

In 2020, the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) was pleased to announce a new effort to identify, document, and commemorate the rich contributions of Filipino Americans to Washington State’s built history. This project is supported through a grant from the Underrepresented Communities Grant Program funded through the Historic Preservation Fund as administered by the National Park Service (NPS), Department of Interior. Survey and identification work is currently underway with the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), who has been contracted to undertake this project.

This project builds on a previous context statement prepared for the agency regarding the protection of Asian/Pacific American resources in Washington State in 1993, as well as the recently published NPS Asian American Pacific Islander National Historic Landmarks Theme Study. Washington has one of the highest concentrations of Filipino Americans, who have played a significant role in the state’s history.  Not only does the history of Filipinos in the state align itself with nationwide contexts of social history and immigration, but it also outlines the leadership of notable Filipino Americans living in Washington State from the late nineteenth century to present day.

Working with Filipino American historians and community members and their partners, gained deeper understanding of the themes and property types that are associated with the settlement and growth of Filipino Americans.  This is part of DAHP’s long-term strategy to understand, document, commemorate, and collaborate with all underrepresented communities within Washington State.

The project included outreach opportunities, oral histories, 39 Historic Property Inventory Forms and two National Register of Historic Places nomination forms.

• Filipino American Statewide Historic Overview/Context
• Yakima Valley Filipino Community Hall
• Dr. Jose Rizal Park - Seattle
   

Asian/Pacific Islanders

• Historic Context for the Protection of Asian/Pacific American Resources in Washington State
• Asian American Pacific Islander National Historic Landmark Theme Study
• Chinese Community in Pullman: 1860-1970

Chinese Americans Exclusion History in WA State

The cultural resources legacy of Chinese Americans during the Exclusion Era (1882 – 1940) represents a story of triumph and perseverance. However, sites and buildings that represent this history are either already gone or endangered. In 2023, the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (WA DAHP) received a $50,000 NPS Under-Representative Communities Grant to create a statewide context statement, at least one National Register nomination, create a new GIS feature class to display locations of previous Chinese American occupation, and conduct an intensive level survey (10-20 resources). DAHP has contracted out with APIAHiP to complete this study.