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Our goal is to preserve the last bunkhouse of the Shinn Ranch China Camp so that it may be used to tell the stories of the early Chinese immigrants who helped build our community since the 1860s.
Our goal is to preserve the last bunkhouse of the Shinn Ranch China Camp so that it may be used to tell the stories of the early Chinese immigrants who helped build our community since the 1860s.
New News! April 2026
New News! April 2026
The nomination of the "Shinn Ranch Homestead" to the National Register of Historic Place was APPROVED by the State Historical Resources Commission on February 6, 2026.
It was LISTED on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior on April 18, 2026! Read it here.
The Big House, Shinn Cottage, Packing Shed, Bungalow, and the last bunkhouse of the Shinn Ranch China Camp are Contributing Buildings.
Mission
Mission
Preserve: To stabilize and preserve the Shinn bunkhouse so that it may be used by park visitors and schools.
Tell stories: Who were the people who worked for the Shinn family and other local ranches, nurseries, stores, and their own farms? Where did they come from? Where did they go? What was life like in the Washington Township?
Document: Why is the bunkhouse significant? Many people have no idea that people came from China to our area as early as 1864. Buildings, such as these, housed ranch workers and are the physical evidence of their lives here. We continue to collaborate with local museums and descendants to record and present the history of the Chinese people who lived and worked in the Washington Township - for the Shinn family and for other ranches, farms, and nurseries.
Collaborate: Bring the stories alive - of immigration, struggle, and success - by creating sustainable partnerships with museums, parks, schools, universities, and other agencies. The "Chinese History Project" is a subcommittee of the Washington Township Museum of Local History. We wish to create partnerships with schools to help support curriculum for local history. We will create exhibits, talks, and events about the Chinese who worked with the Shinn family.
Preserve and Sustain: To plan and fundraise for the preservation of the bunkhouse, its continued use, and future maintenance of the bunkhouse.
Fundraising
Fundraising
2026 Update! We are ready to begin active fundraising
We are a citizen-led group and we believe that this history deserves to be known to the community - for schools and visitors.
The building is owned by the City of Fremont and is located on a city park. There is no city funding for this project.
We have worked for several years on the story of the Shinn Ranch China Camp and the Chinese workers there. We have uncovered the hidden histories of the early Chinese immigrants in Southern Alameda County. We have researched and created exhibits and talks. We have found broad interest in this history among people of all backgrounds. We have made connections with people and organizations in the Bay Area.
"Shinn Ranch Homestead" (Shinn Historical Park & Arboretum) is now listed on the National Registier of Historic Places. The bunkhouse is an important part of the nomination because it highlights the people who worked at the Shinn Ranch. We want the building to be preserved so it will remain significant and continue to tell stories.
Fundraising will be ongoing and work will be done in steps. The first step is to study the building with a Conditions Assessment and come up with the plan to stabilize it, move it, and restore it so it can be entered by visitors.
We want to preserve the building following "The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.” "Using the Standards and Guidelines for Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration & Reconstruction.“
The building is a "Load-Bearing Single-Wall Construction" (Obrien), an old kind of construction with few if any experts locally.
The city will be involved in many stages of planning. As we go we will find out how much money we need to raise for the second phase: construction.
Fundraising history
Fundraising history
A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step
Our fundraising began in 2018 with Gofundme and read more
Our fundraising began in 2018 with Gofundme and read more
Our fundraising began with a GoFundMe fundraiser and 5 donors in 2018 and has continued over the years. Thank you to our donors! We have raised $7900.
Gerry and Randy Sabado
Chris Louie
Maggie Balk
Julie Cain
Janet Barton
Citizens for Better Community grant $2500
MPHF in memory of Gerry Low Sabado
Laura Cavillo
Rena Kiehn
C.K. Fong
L. Lee
P&S Gee for Lena Fong’s 95th birthday
Lena Fong
Dorothy Bradley
Wesley & Nancy Yee Charitable Fund $500
Josh Dudley through Benevity for Apple
South Bay Chinese Club $1000
Phi Die
Josephine Szeto
Jui-Lan Liu
former Mayor Lily Mei
Harry Avila
Victor Wong
Would you like to make a donation of money or time? More
Would you like to make a donation of money or time? More
Would you like to Donate to the Fundraiser to help preserve this building? Our first goal is to get a conditions assessment which will help us understand our options for preservation.
Would you like to Donate to the Fundraiser to help preserve this building? Our first goal is to get a conditions assessment which will help us understand our options for preservation.
Your donation is a tax-deductible donation to the Mission Peak Heritage Foundation, bunkhouse committee. Details on the donation page.
Would you like to help us? We need volunteers with all sorts of skills to make this a reality. We are looking for volunteers!
Would you like to help us? We need volunteers with all sorts of skills to make this a reality. We are looking for volunteers!
We are an all volunteer team. Do you have experience/interest in historic preservation? Are you a retired teacher who would like to help bring this history into the schools? Would you like to help with membership? Fundraising? Outreach? Whatever your specialty, you can probably help us.
We are an all volunteer team. Do you have experience/interest in historic preservation? Are you a retired teacher who would like to help bring this history into the schools? Would you like to help with membership? Fundraising? Outreach? Whatever your specialty, you can probably help us.
Our volunteers have supported the project with their valuable time and expertise for many years with
Our volunteers have supported the project with their valuable time and expertise for many years with
Exhibits, speaker series, talks, event tables, social media, advice, connections, and more...
Our team now: Jill Au, Mike Au, Lena Fong, Allen Chan, Gordon Chun, Zhen Cao, Janet Barton. Victor Wong, Mike Mariano, Denise Lee, Kathy Kimberlin, Harry Avila, and...
Our past Outreach: Park Events
Why should the bunkhouse be preserved?
It is a rare reminder of the Presence and importance of the early Chinese in the Washington Township
Why should the bunkhouse be preserved?
It is a rare reminder of the Presence and importance of the early Chinese in the Washington Township
Less obvious are the stories of the many workers who lived here and worked for the Shinn family. Chinese immigrants and other immigrants worked for the Shinn family. With the help of immigrant workers, the Washington Township became an important agricultural area, producer of salt and sugar, and a link in the original transcontinental railroad.
Descendants of these early Chinese pioneer families still live in the area. Some of their stories have been written down and we hope to discover more stories as we progress.
The Bunkhouse, a rare remnant of an earlier time, is a physical reminder of the Chinese immigrants who worked with the Shinn family. The Bunkhouse and the other Shinn buildings will allow us to explore our shared heritage.
Fong Gan, the cook for the Shinn family with J.C. Shinn, Jr.
Policy 4-1.11: Cultural Diversity and Place; Recognize Fremont’s cultural diversity as an asset that may be expressed through its community design and architecture. The City has an opportunity to strengthen its identity by creating new or reinvented places that celebrate the architectural traditions of its diverse population and international community. This diversity is reflected in the built environment in structures such as the Thai Buddhist Temple in Niles, the Masjid Mosque on Old Canyon Road, the Sikh Temple on Gurdwara Road, and the Hindu Temple on Delaware Drive.
Our project will also support California's new mandate for Ethnic Studies K-12
Our project will also support California's new mandate for Ethnic Studies K-12
How Will We Use the Bunkhouse?
How Will We Use the Bunkhouse?
The bunkhouse, about 1974, when Jimmie Fong was the last resident.
The restored bunkhouse will be part of an outdoor classroom where students can learn about the shared history of the Shinn family and their Chinese workers and neighbors.
There is nothing like standing in the space where others stood 100 years before you. Who were they? What did they see when they looked out the window? Who else was here? What was it like to live and sleep in a drafty bunkhouse, like this one, talking about your family back home. Did they have a wife and children? Were they living in China and difficult to visit?
From 1853 to 1960 the Washington Township and our cities grew from agricultural to suburban.
New research in the Shinn Archives has uncovered more about who worked here. Lucy Shinn wrote about the workers in home and orchard. Milicent Shinn's child observation notes give us personalities of their workers. New research in the census records and other public records has fleshed out two of the Chinese ranch managers, Fong Dai Sing, and his son Fong Quong Lee.
We wish to use this building to create better understanding of our shared history as a community of immigrants.
Who are we aligned with?
Who are we aligned with?
The Chinese Bunkhouse Preservation Project is a committee of the Mission Peak Heritage Foundation (MPHF) which has been taking care of the "Big House" of the Shinn family for many years. The founding mission of MPHF was preservation of artifacts and buildings in the historic Washington Township. Many buildings were saved in the era of home building. Shinn Park contains several buildings from the Shinn family's ranch: the original small cottage, the "Big House", the bungalow, a packing shed, and the remaining "China Camp" bunkhouse. MPHF is a non-profit 501C3 organization and the EIN is 94-2846937.
Our sister project is the Chinese History Project
Our sister project is the Chinese History Project
The Chinese History Project is a special project of the Washington Township Museum of Local History The museum preserves the history of Fremont, Union City, and Newark.
Chinese immigrants worked in all of the historic towns in our township. The first project "Chinese Roots: Sketches of Life in the Washington Township" gave the bunkhouse an historical context of the wider community.
Meet the Team
Meet the Team
The Project members are sometimes called the "Bunkmates"
The Project members are sometimes called the "Bunkmates"
We are an all volunteer group of Fremont citizens who have come together to save the last bunkhouse of the Shinn China Camp.
We are also members of the Chinese History Project at the Washington Township Museum of Local History. Some of us are:
Jill Fong-Au - Jill is a third generation California Chinese descendent. Jill's grandparents came from China in 1917 and moved to Centerville in 1920. The Fong family moved to Niles and later to their farm in Centerville. The family had relatives who worked for the Shinn ranch and the California Nursery. Her father, Dr. Joshua Fong, wrote about growing up in the Washington Township.
Mike Au - Mike's family emigrated to Hawaii in the early 1900's
Mike Mariano - retired Milpitas city - buiildings
Zhen Cao - Local residential architect, interested in preservation of the bunkhouse and bringing the history to schools.
Janet Barton - Janet is a volunteer in the gardens and archives at Fremont's two historical nursery parks: Shinn Park and the California Nursery Historical Park. Janet is interested in the history of the plants at the parks and in the history of the people who worked with them.
Allen Chan - second generation Californian. Bunkhouse Model maker
Gordon Chun - second generation Californian
Denise Lee - CHSA volunteer - interested in getting this history out there.
Victor Wong - Local railroad expert - work of Chinese
Advisors
Al Minard - Mission Peak Heritage Foundation
Harry Avila -Niles Rotary & interest in local history; Third generation resident of Washington Township. Azorean immigrant family came to Warm Springs in 1885; Grandfather initiated sharecropping seed industry with Asian farmers.
Kathy Kimberlin - City Council member
The Originals
Julie Cain - Niles resident and historian, Julie is currently working at Stanford on a project about the Chinese workers at Leland Stanford's stock farm.
Chris Louie -Niles Rotary & third generation California Chinese descendent
Wan Ling Lin - Ling obtained her B.S. degree in Recreation Management at California State University East Bay. She became interested in the bunkhouse project when she met our group at the California Nursery Historical Park. Ling is a first generation Chinese immigrant. She is currently taking a family break from our project, but we love to hear from her.
Gerry Low-Sabado (memorial)- Gerry was a fifth Generation Monterey Peninsula Chinese Fishing Village descendant. Her uncles owned Irvington Food Market. She was one of the original "bunkmates" and lived just a block away from Shinn Park. We miss her very much and her belief in "Change with Kindness" guides us every day.
The bunkhouse was "discovered" ...
The bunkhouse was "discovered" ...
... several times. The latest...by the present group when Janet met James Shinn and Rick Jones at an ice cream social in 2015 or 2016. James said that this was a "Chinese bunkhouse" and Janet started connecting with others who thought this history needed to be told.
... several times. The latest...by the present group when Janet met James Shinn and Rick Jones at an ice cream social in 2015 or 2016. James said that this was a "Chinese bunkhouse" and Janet started connecting with others who thought this history needed to be told.
Gerry Low-Sabado and Al Minard were involved in earlier efforts to generate interest with the people of Fremont. The community wasn't ready to take on this project then. We are now.
References:
California Office of Historic Preservation noted this study Asian American and Pacific Islanders in California 1850-1995
References on Single-Wall Construction and related are on the Preservation page.
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