Time-Capsule Discovery at Japanese Church in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A historian’s intuition about hidden treasures within a Japanese church in Salt Lake City has led to unexpected findings for its congregation, revealing a century-old glimpse into a once-thriving Japanese neighborhood that’s now struggling to survive.

At the United Church of Christ in Japan, which has stood for 101 years as one of the last two remnants of the city’s Japantown, elders drilled through brick and concrete to retrieve a metal box from the church’s cornerstone. What they found paints a picture of the early Japanese immigrants who settled in an area that has since been engulfed by urban sprawl.

This past weekend, local residents had their first opportunity to view these artifacts, including a hand-stitched flag, a Bible, newspapers in both English and Japanese, the church’s articles of incorporation, and a glitter-adorned sheet of paper featuring the handwritten name of the Sunday school teacher.

“You can see the aspirations, the beliefs of people within this community from over a century ago. What they sought still resonates in the heart of Salt Lake City,” Pastor Andrew Fleischman mentioned in an interview.

A Japanese Bible that belonged to founding member Lois Hide Hashimoto was particularly poignant. Her mother had given it to her when she left Japan for the U.S. in the early 1900s. More than a hundred years later, Hashimoto’s grandchildren, Joy Douglas and Ann Poss, held it for the first time.

One handwritten note inside said: “To Lois Hyde from their mother, who has gone to America. June 20, 1906. ‘The Lord is our strength and our refuge.'” The box also contained an English Bible placed there by her father, young Eddie Hashimoto, as part of a time capsule.

While the Presbyterians had noted that their chapel was dedicated in the fall of 1924, they were surprised to find the specific date—November 2—only after opening the time capsule. Lorraine Kraus, a third-generation member and former historian at the University of Utah, pointed out that time capsules were popular during the church’s construction. A subsequent radar scan confirmed the presence of a trapezoidal box in the foundation.

For Lynn Ward, an elder in the church, these items evoked fond memories of her childhood, navigating the once-bustling Japantown filled with fish markets, hotels, and various Japanese businesses. She recalled visits to a market where a vendor would give her mother tasty citrus candies wrapped in rice paper.

Japantown, which once boasted around 90 businesses, emerged in the early 1900s when mining and railroad opportunities attracted many Japanese immigrants to northern Utah. However, during World War II, the downtown area transformed drastically as many community figures faced harassment and confinement in internment camps.

The vibrant Japantown saw its decline when the Salt Palace Convention Center expanded in the1990s, resulting in the loss of most remaining establishments and pushing residents to the suburbs.

Today, only two religious centers—a Presbyterian and a Buddhist—remain, surrounded by street signs, a small Japanese garden, a sports bar, a hotel, a convention center, and the arena for Utah’s professional hockey and basketball teams.

For many church members, this time capsule serves as a vital connection to their heritage during a time when Japantown’s existence is threatened by development. It also reflects the resilience of minority and faith communities in a state where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the dominant religious group.

The modest church is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places and is situated within a planned sports and entertainment district, which is set to modernize the rapidly evolving downtown.

Developers with Smith Entertainment Group have pledged to accommodate the church’s needs amid the construction, yet church leaders express concern that the ambitious project may erase the remnants of the Japanese American community’s local history.

Ward, after the time capsule unveiling, felt empowered to showcase the enduring value of the Japanese community in both the city’s past and present. “Our founding members believed someone would find that time capsule in 100 years. We think we’ll be exploring it again in another century,” she said, adding that discussions are underway about what to include in their own future time capsule.