Japanese American Exclusion Memorial
The memorial sits at Pritchard Park, on the old Eagledale ferry dock — the place people were forced onto a boat on March 30, 1942. It is not next door to the bookstore. It is not a Winslow stroll. You need a ride from downtown, and you need to give it time.
The charge on the wall is Nidoto Nai Yoni: let it not happen again. Official visitor updates: bijaema.org. Island story: Never Forget.
At a glance
Where
Pritchard Park, 4192 Eagle Harbor Drive NE. Old Eagledale dock. South side of the harbor, not Winslow Way.
Hours
Outdoor, dawn to dusk, every day. No ticket. Check bijaema.org for what is open.
Time on site
45–60 minutes if you actually read the wall. Longer with kids who will ask questions.
Indoor companion
Bainbridge History Museum in the 1908 schoolhouse downtown — compact, walkable.
Directions
Address and map: Exclusion Memorial listing. This page is how to visit.
This is not a photo stop on the way to ice cream.
Walk the wall. Read names and ages. Stand at the departure deck. Then go back to town.
What happened here
On March 30, 1942, this island was the first place Executive Order 9066 was carried out on the West Coast. Two hundred twenty-seven Japanese and Japanese American residents were taken from the Eagledale dock, ferried to Seattle, and sent toward incarceration at Manzanar. They were the first of more than 120,000 people uprooted from their homes.
The wall is 276 feet of old-growth red cedar, granite, and basalt. It names the 276 Japanese American residents who lived on the island in 1942, with their ages. The memorial is kept by the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association, with the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community. History in four paragraphs: island history.
What you will see
An outdoor walk: the wall, the departure deck at the historic landing, an interpretive loop, woods above Eagle Harbor. There is no beach access from the memorial grounds. Stay on the paths — the hillsides erode if people cut through.
A visitor center has been going in on the upper site. What is fenced changes. The wall and the dock landing are the point of the visit. Confirm the current entrance on bijaema.org before you leave Winslow. Educational tours can be scheduled through that site.
Getting there from the ferry
Winslow is the north side of Eagle Harbor. The memorial is the south side, at the old Eagledale dock. That is a drive or a ride, not a waterfront shortcut from the bookstore.
- Car. From the terminal, you are not staying in downtown. Eagle Harbor Drive is the usual approach. About ten minutes from Winslow when 305 is not dumped. Pad extra when a boat unloads.
- No car. BI Ride, a taxi, Uber, or Lyft. Request the ride back before you are ready to leave. There is no cab stand at the wall.
- Do not walk it as a casual add-on to a three-hour Winslow loop. You will eat the clock and arrive rushed.
Park listing for the pin: Pritchard Park. The fenced Superfund plant is the other end of this park, on Bill Point — not the memorial. What is the Wyckoff Superfund site? Once you are moving around the island: getting around.
Construction and parking
Upper areas have closed for visitor-center work — driveway, some lots, the pavilion, some boardwalks. The lower memorial (wall, departure deck, interpretive loop) has stayed the visit. Alternate parking has been curbside at the bus turnaround off Taylor Avenue from Eagle Harbor Drive. Follow the signs. Do not drive down the gravel road to the private marina.
That layout will keep changing. We are not going to freeze a detour on this page. Check bijaema.org the morning you go.
What else that day
Walk-on Winslow — BIMA, the street, Waterfront Park — is a complete trip without this stop. Add the memorial when you have a ride and the hours. Bloedel is a second ride on the north end. Do not stack memorial + Bloedel + Poulsbo + a tight last boat.
First-visit list: must-do. Annual winter gathering tied to this community: Mochi Tsuki.
The Explore Bainbridge app
Live ferry, map from the dock. Free. Download it on the boat. explorebainbridge.com.
FAQ
Where is the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial?
At Pritchard Park on the old Eagledale ferry dock, 4192 Eagle Harbor Drive NE — not next door to the bookstore in Winslow, and not the fenced Superfund plant on Bill Point at the other end of the park. About a ten-minute drive from downtown. You need a car, BI Ride, a taxi, Uber, or Lyft.
What are the memorial hours?
Outdoor, dawn to dusk, every day. There is no indoor ticket booth. A visitor center has been under construction; check bijaema.org the morning you go for what is open and where to park.
Why is this memorial on Bainbridge Island?
On March 30, 1942, this island was the first place Executive Order 9066 was carried out. Two hundred twenty-seven Japanese and Japanese American residents were taken from the Eagledale dock. The cedar, granite, and basalt wall is 276 feet long and names the 276 people who lived here then. The charge on the wall is Nidoto Nai Yoni: let it not happen again.
How long should I spend at the memorial?
Give it time. Walk the wall. Read names and ages. Stand at the departure deck. This is not a photo stop on the way to ice cream. Budget 45 minutes to an hour, more if you are with kids who will have questions.
Can I do the memorial and Bloedel the same day?
Only if you already have a ride, you drop something else, and you are not gambling the last boat. Pick one if you also want a real Winslow walk. Both plus Poulsbo plus a tight sailing is how people hate the ferry.