A Chinese medical clinic, general store, community center and residence, Kam Wah Chung gives you an incomparable glimpse into the past. This remarkable site, a National Historic Landmark, is located in the town of John Day, and includes a museum and a separate interpretive center.

The museum was built in 1865, possibly as a trading post and stage stop. This tiny, unassuming building became home to two Chinese immigrants, Ing "Doc" Hay and Lung On in 1888. Both became locally famous:  Lung On as a general store proprietor and businessman, and "Doc" Hay as a practitioner of herbal medicine. For over 60-some years the building was a social, medical, and religious center for Oregon's Chinese community. 	

Truly a time capsule unique in the world, the museum and interpretive center has held the artifact and archival collections since 1975 when it first opened to the public as a museum.  Arguably, we hold the largest, intact collection of traditional Chinese medicine formulas, patient records, and letters in North America.  The rest of the collection is pretty impressive as well, since this truly is a time capsule of Chinese-American culture of late 19th and early 20th Century in the United States.

About Us

All archival material is owned by Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, State of Oregon. 

Homepage