If you haven’t seen this place, you need to go. Originally 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 the 1870s, possibly as a trading post. This tiny, unassuming building became home to two Chinese immigrants, Ing “Doc” Hay and Lung On. Both became locally famous: Lung On as a general store proprietor and businessman, and “Doc” Hay as a practitioner of herbal medicine. For 50-some years, the building was a social, medical and religious center for the Oregon’s Chinese community.
Learn more about Kam Wah Chung by watching an Emmy nominated documentary produced by Oregon Public broadcasting.
An ADA-accessible interpretive center across the street from the museum is open daily. In 2011, the center opened a new exhibit, detailing the life and times of Doc Hay and Lung On.
Museum Tours
Open daily May 1 - October 31, 9 a.m. - Noon, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Guided tours only. Tours start at the top of each hour at the Interpretive Center and last about 45 minutes (last tour at 4 p.m.). Free tickets for the tour can be picked up at the Interpretive Center.
