Chinese temple gets new home
Artifacts from the Beuk Aie Temple are moving from the Lewis-Clark State College Center for Arts and History to the Nez Perce County Historical Society and Museum, which has plans for a new building to house the collection.
Representatives from LCSC and the historical society met Wednesday afternoon to sign an agreement and formalize the transfer of a shrine built in 1890 by Chinese immigrants who came to this region to search for gold.
Dan Miller, president of the Nez Perce County Historical Society, said a new building is slated for the museum campus to house the collection, and it should be completed in two years or so. While the project is underway, an exhibit will be available for public viewing in the main museum.
"This is a big moment for us," Miller said, unrolling a blueprint of future plans for the Beuk Aie Temple. "This is our dream."
The temple was originally on the former C Street until 1959, when the building was razed. Fortunately, several Lewiston residents preserved its contents, including a wooden altar carved with dragons, phoenixes, pomegranates and Chinese characters, and an ornate lantern that is fueled with peanut oil.
The exhibit also includes cooking utensils, mining tools and items used in daily life during the time period when Chinese immigrants were here carving out a living here during the gold rush.
Mike Mossler, of Clarkston, helped move the artifacts from their original home to a garage more than five decades ago, before the collection became public. He and other family members preserved a piece of history that will help future generations learn about Idaho's early Chinese residents.
"I think we have the only authentic altar cloth in all of North America," Mossler told the Lewiston Tribune at the brief ceremony. "I have photos of my father and brother and me moving the items before the building was torn down."
LCSC officials said the agreement between the college and the museum was made in close consultation with the Beuk Aie Temple Advisory Committee and at the request of the historical society.
"It has been LC State's honor and privilege to serve as the custodial home and caretaker of this important part of our community's history and Chinese American heritage for over three decades," LCSC President Cynthia Pemberton said in a news release.
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"This is important history that must be preserved for future generations, and we are grateful to the Nez Perce County Historical Society for its keen interest and expertise in doing just that. Transferring the temple to the historical society will preserve its quality care and allow increased public access to this important historical collection."
When gold was discovered near Pierce in the 1860s, thousands of miners, including those of Chinese descent, rushed to this region. Most of the Chinese men who came to the area were from the Toishan district of China's Guangdong Province.
They brought with them their religion, a form of Taosim that combined elements of Confucianism and Buddhism with traditional folk practices and mythology. In 1890, a temple was built to serve as their house of worship. The temple remained for 69 years.
In 1991, LCSC acquired the historic First Security Bank on Main Street, and it became home to the Center for Arts and History. Shortly afterward, the Beuk Aie Temple Society contributed the century-old artifacts to the college. After extensive cleaning and restoration, the collection was dedicated in 1994.
The three-room exhibit on the second floor remained open until a fire forced its closure in 2009. The display was reopened in 2013.
Several years ago, the college and historical society entered into a joint cooperative agreement to support the preservation of the temple. This agreement covered display, accessibility, preservation, maintenance, storage, and established an advisory committee.
According to a news release, the advisory committee conducted a thorough assessment of the exhibit last year and identified the need for additional renovation.
"Currently the Nez Perce County Historical Society has a certified curator, has doubled the size of its campus, and is prepared to manage all aspects of the Chinese community's history," members wrote in a letter of request to LCSC.
The museum, located at the corner of Third and Capital streets, has always featured exhibits that pertain to the area's 1860s Chinese influence and ongoing Chinese American heritage, officials said. The Beuk Aie Temple artifacts are expected to greatly expand and complement existing displays.
The historical society and museum representatives estimate the Beuk Aie Temple altar will be ready for display by June 1. The rest of the Beuk Aie Temple exhibit will be displayed in a separate building after it is constructed on the museum campus.
Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com.
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