Auburn Joss House

Auburn Joss House
Location200 Sacramento Street,
Auburn, California, United States
Coordinates38°53′41″N 121°04′42″W / 38.894787°N 121.078208°W / 38.894787; -121.078208
Built1909
DemolishedAugust 25, 1921 (fire)
Rebuilt1930
Governing bodyState of California
Auburn Joss House is located in California
Auburn Joss House
Location of Auburn Joss House in California

The Auburn Joss House is a historic Chinese community building in Auburn, California, United States.[1] It now serves as a cultural history museum, which is open to the public with limited hours. The Auburn Joss House is part of the Old Auburn Historic District, a National Register of Historic Place listed historic district;[2] and has a historical marker erected in 2005 by the Native Sons of the Golden West.[3] It is also known as Joss House and Joss House Museum.

History

An old name in English for Chinese traditional temples is "joss house", an Anglicized spelling of deus, the Portuguese word for "god".[4] The building was originally built for social and religious purposes in 1909 in the city of Auburn's Chinatown. It was the meeting place of the Ling Ying Association, as well as used as a Chinese school, and boarding house.[1][5]

After a fire in August 25, 1921, the current version of the building was completed in 1930 by Charles Jung Yue and his brothers.[1][3] The interior of the building contains a 1860s Taoist alter,[1] which was built shortly after the California Gold Rush.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Point of Historic Interest in Auburn, California: Auburn Joss House". NoeHill.com. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  2. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Old Auburn Historic District". National Park Service. December 29, 1970. Retrieved August 8, 2024. With accompanying pictures
  3. ^ a b "The Auburn Joss House Historical Marker". Historical Marker Database (HMDB). Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  4. ^ R., J (Supercargo) (1822). Diary of a journey overland, through the Maritime Provinces of China from Manchao, on the south coast of Hainan, to Canton in the years 1819 and 1820. Sir Richard Philips & Co.
  5. ^ Sommers, Art; Knox, John; McDonald-Loomis, April (2015). Early Auburn. Arcadia Publishing. p. 105. ISBN 978-1-4671-3276-3 – via Google Books.