SHARP PARK DETENTION CENTER: WORLD WAR II ON THE SAN MATEO COUNTY COAST
by Laura del Rosso
Wednesday June 17, 2026 6PM-7PM, Half Moon Bay Library
Photo Courtesy Laura del Rosso
A little-known part of local coast history lies in an isolated canyon in Pacifica—the site of a US government WW II detention center that housed thousands of “enemy aliens.” Laura Del Rosso of the Pacifica Historical Society will discuss the Sharp Park Detention Center and its impact on local Japanese, Italian, and German communities during a time of fear and suspicion.
Laura is a Pacifica native whose Italian family emigrated first to Half Moon Bay more than 100 years ago. A former news reporter for the Pacifica Tribune, she is a freelance writer and member of the Sharp Park Memorial Committee. Seating is limited—get there early!
The Half Moon Bay History Association is a nonprofit organization which receives no government funding and has a volunteer staff. Your donations help make our programs possible! Thank you for your support.
Doors of the Community Room open at 5:30PM at the Library, 620 Correas St, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Preserve, celebrate, and share the history of the San Mateo Coastside
The Coastside History Museum, including the Jail, is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30am to 4:30pm. The exhibits and artifacts bring the San Mateo Coastside’s past to life, displaying its many cultures beginning with the Ohlone (Ramaytush), Californio (Mexican) eras, our fishing and agricultural heritages, and more.
We are volunteers, and are always looking for new people and ideas on local history. For more about our projects and team, visit our About page.
Ocean Shore passenger train at Devils Slide
Ocean Shore Railroad Exhibit
Click for full size copy of the Coastside Chronicles
Miramar: Small Town/Big History
Miramar is known for its restaurants and sunsets. With a population just over 2,000 people, it seems a sleepy, upscale, nice place to visit.
It wasn’t always the case, and I’ve found artifacts to prove it.
This small section of the coast has seen human activity for thousands of years. Inhabited by first nation people, it also had a place in Spanish Mission history, in the earliest days of the town of Halfmoon Bay, played a role during prohibition, and in California defense during World War II. Not bad for a small section of the coast.The areas in which we live—and where our ancestors originated—influence our food preferences. Look back into your life and remember family dinners, picnics, school-lunch-pail food, and the ethnicity of the meals you remember with fondness. [Read more]
Eating on the Coastside: Food Through the Ages
The areas in which we live—and where our ancestors originated—influence our food preferences. Look back into your life and remember family dinners, picnics, school-lunch-pail food, and the ethnicity of the meals you remember with fondness.
The Ohlone—the First Coastsiders
This article approaches how Coastside peoples—the Ohlone, Spanish, Californios, Gold Rushers, and World War II folks in the area—secured their food, and the tools and the cooking systems they used to prepare it. [Read more]