OTHER TIDBITS: A “joss house” is a generic term for a Chinese temple of worship in the USA, probably a slurred version of the Portuguese word for god, “deus!”

This is the oldest continuously used joss house in California, built by the hands of severely underpaid workers who saved every penny to buy construction materials directly from China! They finished their first joss house in 1853, but it, like many Gold Rush era buildings, burned down. They rebuilt, then lost another temple in 1873. By the time construction began again the next year, the area’s gold had largely been used up, and Chinese people were leaving Weaverville in droves. By 1931, there were only 16 left!

This Daoist temple is still full of symbolic importance! The building is painted blue to signify heaven, and the two dragon fish on the roof are meant to keep it safe from future fires (So far, it’s worked)! Like other temples in China, the threshold is very high to keep out bad spirits. Inside, you’ll find clay statues of numerous Daoist deities with a table for offering them food and incense. The amount of work that went into building this temple, against such odds, shows a really profound dedication to faith!

• Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
• Become a member of the Weaverville Joss House Association!
• Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!

ANNOTATIONS:
630 Main Street
Weaverville, CA 96093

From Los Angeles: ~589mi (948km) — 9.9hrs
From Sacramento: ~204mi (329km) — 3.4hrs
From San Diego: ~709mi (1142km) — 11.9hrs
From San Francisco: ~261mi (421km) — 4.4hrs