About Fiddletown Preservation Society
OUR MISSION
The mission of the FIDDLETOWN PRESERVATION SOCIETY is to preserve, maintain and restore, wherever possible, the historical buildings, records and artifacts of Fiddletown, thereby safeguarding the community’s rich historical heritage. Our journey began in 1964 with a vision to protect Fiddletown’s unique history, dating back to the California Gold Rush. With deep commitment to preserve our town’s historic buildings and cultural artifacts, we work to maintain and restore key public sites, including the Fiddletown Schoolhouse and the CHEW KEE MUSEUM, the Chinese Gambling House, and the Chinese General Store. Our preservation work not only honors the past but also ensures that future generations can experience and learn from these historical treasures.
Our mission goes beyond preserving historic structures to keeping alive the stories and celebrating our town’s legacy through a range of activities from hosting community events to planning fundraising campaigns. With the largest grouping of Chinese-related buildings in a California mining town, we proudly recognize and promote Fiddletown’s Chinese heritage, working with kindred organizations.
We rely on a team of dedicated volunteers and the generous contributions of individuals and organizations who share our commitment to historic preservation. Join us as a new member or active volunteer – we welcome and need your participation.
HERE IS WHAT OUR ORGANIZATION DOES:
- Ensuring the careful maintenance and restoration of historic buildings and artifacts to preserve their historical integrity and cultural significance
- Organizing events, tours, and educational programs to raise awareness and foster a connection between the community and Fiddletown’s rich history
- Securing and managing preservation grants to fund restoration projects and support ongoing preservation efforts.
- Researching to document and authenticate the history of Fiddletown’s buildings and relics to offer accurate and engaging historical narratives
- Overseeing the upkeep and operation of our historic sites to ensure they are welcoming and accessible for visitors


A History of the Fiddletown Preservation Society
The Fiddletown Preservation Society (FPS) came into being in 1964 over the issue of saving the Fiddletown Schoolhouse. Because the property had not been used as a school since 1955, the Oro Madre School District intended to put it up for sale. Members of the FPS were concerned that the schoolhouse building would be demolished. Instead, the school district deeded the schoolhouse and property to the new organization later that year. Preservation of the Schoolhouse, as well as other buildings, has been a target of the FPS ever since.
Click here for more history of the Fiddletown Preservation Society
In September 1965, the FPS was incorporated by the Secretary of State “to preserve, maintain and restore the historical buildings, records, and relics of Fiddletown…as a living museum for the education of the general public in the history of the Fiddletown area.” Earlier that year, the FPS and the Fiddletown Community Club jointly sponsored Fiddletown’s first Homecoming Barbeque and Picnic to raise funds for the schoolhouse and to honor its alumni and teachers. The day featured a fiddlers’ contest, the genesis of the annual event that continues to the present.
Since its inception, the FPS has been involved in several preservation projects. The organization succeeded in urging Amador County to acquire the Chew Kee Store and Chinese Gambling House. In 1968, the Chew Kee Store was dedicated as a historic site. It later opened as a museum, maintained and staffed by FPS docents.
In 1978, eighteen historic sites in Fiddletown, nominated by the FPS, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This followed a long battle in which the Fiddletown Preservation Society actively contested a proposed limestone quarry that would threaten fragile historic structures with vibrations from heavy trucks continuously going through town.
Major restoration work to the Chew Kee Store was completed in 1987-1988, resulting in a new shake roof, restoring, reattaching, and inventorying the wooden room additions, stabilizing the rammed earth walls, and constructing drainage. The project received the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award in 1989. The Fiddletown ROCS (Restoration of Chinese Structures) project was initiated in 2001 after Amador County accepted ownership of the Chinese General Store. In 2008, exterior preservation was accomplished at the Chinese Gambling Hall and the Chinese General Store. Restoration continues with the Chew Kee Store into the second decade of the 21st century, with roof and porch replacement and the conservation of historic paper banners, signs, and newspapers attached to the interior walls. An interpretive sign was installed in 2024 next to the Chew Kee Store to inform visitors about the history of Fiddletown’s Chinese Community.
The FPS works to preserve and share the cultural and historical legacy of Fiddletown. It continues to maintain, preserve and restore the 1862 Fiddletown Schoolhouse and the three public buildings owned by Amador County: The Chew Kee Store, the Chinese Gambling House and the Chinese General Store.
