This structure from the 1850's may have been build by non-chinese, but its lack of windows
made it suitable for use as a gambling house. In 1871, Yee Fung & Co. obtained the deed
to the building. This was most likely the same Dr. Yee Fung Cheung connected with the
Chew Kee Store. Dr. Herbert Yee has remarked that his great-grandfather, Yee Fung Cheung,
loved to gamble and often visited the gambling house across the street. Other accounts
of Yee Fung Cheung indicate he was a player of the popular Chinese game of Majhong. This
was most likely one of the games played in the Gambling Hall.
In July of 2003 the Fiddletown Preservation Society received a grant
from the State of California for $203,000, about half of the cost of restoring the
Chinese Store and the Gambling Hall. FPS is currently recruiting volunteers, doing fund
raising and applying for additional grants to raise the addtional funds needed to stabilize and restore the exteriors of
the buildings. In January of 2006 FPS awarded a contract to Garavaglia Architects in San Francisco to do the architectural plans for the work. The plans are to be completed by August 2006, and the construction by the end of 2007.
To make a donation or ask about the project you can contact us here.