REMEMBERING... Pacific Grove Chinatown The point just southeast of Lovers' Point has an official name, I am sure, but it was locally called Organ Point, because the waves, dashing against a certain part of it sounded like the tones of an organ, or China Point because Chinatown was located on its base. It was a picturesque community, built largely of scrap lumber. There was quite a nice Joss House in the Center, and a wandering path through the village leading to Rice Shell Beach. The Chinese were fishermen who fished from small sail boats. The squid that they caught were spread on the ground in a nearby field. When they were dried, we understood they were raked up, bagged, and sent to China. Some of the larger fish were peddled from door to door in Pacific Grove and Monterey. The fish were put in a basket hung on the end of a pole. A basket at the other end held their knives and a board. Carrying the pole across their shoulders, they went through the streets blowing a whistle to alert the housewives, who went out and selected a fish from the still-wiggling mass. The Chinaman would take out this board and knives and sit down on the ground to clean and scale the fish, then put the refuse in his basket and be on his way. - G CO' 'ir * :, 1.-- 3 k - - 1 PAT HATHAWAY COLLECTION Chinatown The original Feast of Lanterns in Pacific Grove was a parade of the Chinese sailboats, outlined in the colorful lan- terns, moving silently through the water as they were rowed from their mooring grounds on the far side of the point,.to Lovers' Point and back. The line of boats reached from point to point. There was no shoreside entertainment, no fireworks, just the quiet dignity of the boats. It was a sight we looked forward to each summer. And then one night in 1906 fire struck the little community and it was burned to the ground in just a few minutes. We watched with dismay from our house as the flames ate up the little homes. It was an awesome sight. The Chinese quietly disappeared, and some years later the Hopkins Marine Station was built just back of the site of the little Chinatown. -Elizabeth Bean Telfer 1 PAT HATHAWAY COLLECTION \648 A NW , OCR Text: REMEMBERING... Pacific Grove Chinatown The point just southeast of Lovers' Point has an official name, I am sure, but it was locally called Organ Point, because the waves, dashing against a certain part of it sounded like the tones of an organ, or China Point because Chinatown was located on its base. It was a picturesque community, built largely of scrap lumber. There was quite a nice Joss House in the Center, and a wandering path through the village leading to Rice Shell Beach. The Chinese were fishermen who fished from small sail boats. The squid that they caught were spread on the ground in a nearby field. When they were dried, we understood they were raked up, bagged, and sent to China. Some of the larger fish were peddled from door to door in Pacific Grove and Monterey. The fish were put in a basket hung on the end of a pole. A basket at the other end held their knives and a board. Carrying the pole across their shoulders, they went through the streets blowing a whistle to alert the housewives, who went out and selected a fish from the still-wiggling mass. The Chinaman would take out this board and knives and sit down on the ground to clean and scale the fish, then put the refuse in his basket and be on his way. - G CO' 'ir * :, 1.-- 3 k - - 1 PAT HATHAWAY COLLECTION Chinatown The original Feast of Lanterns in Pacific Grove was a parade of the Chinese sailboats, outlined in the colorful lan- terns, moving silently through the water as they were rowed from their mooring grounds on the far side of the point,.to Lovers' Point and back. The line of boats reached from point to point. There was no shoreside entertainment, no fireworks, just the quiet dignity of the boats. It was a sight we looked forward to each summer. And then one night in 1906 fire struck the little community and it was burned to the ground in just a few minutes. We watched with dismay from our house as the flames ate up the little homes. It was an awesome sight. The Chinese quietly disappeared, and some years later the Hopkins Marine Station was built just back of the site of the little Chinatown. -Elizabeth Bean Telfer 1 PAT HATHAWAY COLLECTION \648 A NW , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Historical Collections,Names of People about town,A through B Name file,Bean,BEAN_017.pdf,BEAN_017.pdf 1 Page 1, Tags: BEAN_017.PDF, BEAN_017.pdf 1 Page 1