Yeong Wo Mercantile on the Comstock

Abstract

In the summer of 2004, the University of Nevada, Reno and the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office sponsored an archaeological excavation on the corner of Union and "H" Street in Virginia City, Nevada. This parcel of land was excavated with permission of the property owner Carl Small and was once the location of the Yeong Wo Chinese mercantile in the center of Chinatown in Virginia City. Chinese mercantiles such as the Yeong Wo were part of a larger organization currently called the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA). This organization provided an international/national structure for the local Chinese mercantiles to operate within in terms of merchandise, services, and the architectural form of the business. Despite a strong national structure to the Chinese mercantile the Yeong Wo mercantile in Virginia City, Nevada illustrates many instances of adaptation and variety that illustrate local influence.