FRESNO, Calif. – What began as routine excavation work for California’s High-Speed Rail project in downtown Fresno this summer culminated in a timely discovery for the Christmas holiday.
In June, construction crews discovered 82 massive lanterns buried beneath the construction site. Each red and green lantern stands nearly four feet tall, weighs about five pounds, and bears intricate designs.
The unexpected find left workers puzzled about where the lanterns came from and why they were underground.
Dan Waterhouse, who follows local history, initially believed the lanterns might have been connected to Fresno’s Japanese community. They could be linked, he thought, to a Japanese garden that once existed at Roeding Park before World War II, prior to the U.S. entering the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Ardie Burton, an intern at the Fresno City and County Historical Society had a similar thought because of, ”the way it was shaped and the style of stuff.”
But the guessing didn't last for long because the historical society quickly got on the case.
Elizabeth Laval, president of the organization said the lanterns were designed to embody the Christmas spirit and were once used to illuminate Fulton Street during the holiday shopping season.
Laval was able to locate a photograph from her great-grandfather, Pop Laval, taken in 1929 within the Pop Foundation archive. The picture shows the lanterns in operation on Fulton Street during Fresno’s December holiday festivities.
Donald Spencer, the archivist for The Archive, an office that keeps historical records, was not surprised by the discovery.
"To me, [the designs] always looked like snowflakes. I thought they were for Christmas," Spencer said.
Historical investigators confirmed that the items were Yuletide streetlight decorations used between 1929 to 1931.
Laval said the lanterns are not worth much in dollars. But knowing what purpose they served long ago serves as a reminder about the enduring celebration of a special holiday.
"It's not a matter of insurance or value, it's community worth. I think in our words, it's a bunch of sheet metal. But together, with the history that it brought to us, I think that this couldn't have come at a more exciting time and it makes a very merry holiday season for all,” Laval said.
