JOHN DAY — It’s a bit eerie, really, to step foot inside Kam Wah Chung.

But eerie in a good way.

The museum is essentially a time capsule, and visitors can literally see the past as they duck under low doorways and peer into rooms that are nearly unchanged from the mid-1900s. The Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site is located on Ing Hay Way in John Day. Although it doesn’t officially open for the season until May 1, the museum will be open during spring break, March 25-29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The last guided tour will start at 3 p.m. each day. Reservations are not required but are recommended because groups are limited to eight. Tours start at the top of the hour and run about 45 minutes.

Across the street is the interpretive center at 125 NW Canton St., which provides more exhibits and a virtual tour. Admission is free to both the center and museum. To make reservations, call 541-575-2800.

The museum

Kam Wah Chung is part of the Oregon State Parks system. The museum was originally a general store owned by Chinese businessmen Ing “Doc” Hay and Lung On, who operated there from 1888 to 1948.

It was more than a store — the building was also a doctor’s office, post office, library and center of Chinese social and religious life. According to Oregon State Parks, Doc Hay and Lung On purchased it in 1887 and it became “a successful place of business, frequently visited as an herbal medical office, a haven from social persecution for Chinese residents and even a Chinese temple.”

The seven rooms included two bedrooms, a bunk room, kitchen, general store, stock room and apothecary. The two men owned and operated Kam Wah Chung for more than 60 years, and neither ever returned to China. Lung On died in 1940, and Doc Hay died in 1952. They were both buried in the John Day cemetery.

Saving history

After Hay’s death, the abandoned property was forgotten until 1967 when the city of John Day launched plans for a new park in that location. However, Doc Hay’s nephew, Bob Wah, had leased the building to the city in 1955 with a stipulation that it be kept as a museum. When Wah died in 1966, the estate was turned over to the city, and in 1968 the building was given to the John Day Historical Society.

In 1973, Kam Wah Chung made it to the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2005, it was declared a National Historic Landmark. It has been featured in documentaries by Oregon Public Broadcasting and the Discovery Channel.

To learn more, visit the museum or go to friendsofkamwahchung.com.