Weaverville Joss House SHP

The Joss House is a piece of Trinity County History, and should not be missed.
Definitely take a guided tour if you haven’t been here before. I recommend visiting when the weather is nice so you can spend some time outside.
Their website will explain the history & significance better than I can here.
You should also check out this site:

One of the first things I wanted to do during my 3-​month internship in Trinity County was to visit the Joss House. It is the last wooden temple standing in all of California & it was being threatened to close! Jack was our lovely guide through this beautifully serene temple. There are pre-​Communist Chinese artifacts from the when the Chinese were there mining for gold. It shows you how devoted the Chinese were to having a link to home & creating a safe haven for themselves from racism.
If you are in Weaverville, please stopby & explore the Joss House. Also donate to keep this place open for generations after to enjoy! I will definitely be back to visit :)

This is a beautiful landmark, rich in both history and a sort of serenity that comes with places that have served to calm and inspire people through beauty. It is a privilege to be able to visit the Joss house even still and I pray that the sorry state of our California budget does not permanently close this, one of only two Taoist temples in the United States, to the appreciation of the public.
If you are anywhere near Weaverville and have the slightest bit of concern for beauty or spiritualism, stop in here at the Joss House.
It is also in one of the most beautiful little towns in the world, Weaverville, a town upon which the novel «Shangri-​La» was supposedly based — it is that pretty and magical of a place.

‘Joss’ is a somewhat mangled word for god. This Taoist deity house looks pretty much like it did when constructed in 1874.
The small visitors center offers only basic information about Weaverville Joss House so save your questions for the knowledgeable tour guide.
While the temple’s striking exterior sits in a picture perfect setting of tall trees, greenery and water, the deep red interior beyond the tall entrance doors reveals a rich trove of devotional items. It must have been a soothing place with candlelight and incense, especially on the snowy winters days in this mountain town.
The Chinese contribution to the gold rush era is not well known. Visiting one of the last joss houses in California will give you some insight into their story and their connection to the frontiers of the wild west.

In such an all-​american town it is refreshing to see the Chinese heritage that was present during the Gold Rush to be proudly presented to the public. The relics serve to uphold the culture that South Eastern Chinese brought with them. The temple holds original banners, and wood carvings. An ongoing game the tour guides have is to try to locate all of the bats that are placed throughout the art in the temple, bats are considered good luck. There are old tools and mini exhibits in the visitor area and gorgeous artifacts from the late 1800’s. the temple is still used to this day for worshiping purposes.