The internment of thousands of Japanese Americans marked a dark chapter for Hawaii and the nation.

Most of the sites in the islands were forgotten after World War II but now pieces of that painful past are being uncovered as part of a push for preservation.

An archaeological study is being done at the largest camp, Honouliuli, which was just west of what is now Kunia Road.

The Japanese Cultural Center tracked down the location of the internment camp in 2000.

The land is now owned by an agricultural company called Monsanto Hawaii. A dusty road in Kunia leads to a trip back in time to where the 160-acre Honouliuli Internment Camp once stood.

"It's exciting to uncover things that haven't been uncovered in 60 years or more," said archaeologist Jeff Burton.

Honouliuli opened on March 1, 1943. More than 300 people, mainly Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans, were held behind barbed wire. Burton and some volunteers are exploring the camp's hidden history.

"This is a latrine slab and we think it's from the administration area cause they have these nice sidewalks, something you don't really find anywhere they put internees," explained Burton.

Some of the new discoveries include dozens of concrete slabs, bottles from the 1940's and a shower drain. Everything is measured, photographed and added to a map.

The five-day field study is being done so that Honouliuli can be nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.

"You feel as if this period of history is not going to be lost," said Japanese Cultural Center volunteer Jane Kurahara.

"(I get) a sense of what we can learn from having been here and sense what detainees were going through and maybe take away from that we don't do that again," said Paul Koehler of Monsanto Hawaii, the company that owns the property.

Two former Honouliuli internees will head to the site for a private visit this weekend.

The public can learn about Hawaii's internment camps and the findings at Honouliuli during an event on March 2 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Japanese Cultural Center.

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Other WWII Internment Camps in Hawaii

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