In 1884 stone mason Joseph Cavagnaro was directed to construct this shrine by Guiseppe Ferretti, upon whose
land it stood. The shrine is located nearly opposite the old Ferretti home on Moccasin Creek, the ruins of which can be seen today. It is said that it was built to duplicate a shrine which stood near Ferretti’s home in his native Italy.
The shrine, the only one of its kind along State Highway 49, was built of native stone from nearby Moccasin Creek, and once bore a gable roof of slate tile and a thick coat of white lime. Now all of the tile and much of the lime have disappeared.
While the reasons for the recent damage to the shrine are not known, they possibly stem from the hobby of treasure hunting. It provided a wonderful flavor of early Tuolumne County. It was a unique monument to faith and history
