By: Carl Gwyn (9-19-17) Nestled in a corner of the beautiful Gold Rush town of Sutter Creek, you’ll find the only remaining water-powered foundry in the United States. Established in 1873 to supply equipment for the Gold Rush and other developing industries of the new state of California, Knight Foundry operated continuously, with little technological [...]
Built in 1873 at the height of the Gold Rush's second wave, Sutter Creek's Knight Foundry was one of the nation's first hydroelectric foundries. Today it's the last of its kind. (Photo: Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group) SUTTER CREEK — Long narrow belts whir across the ceiling of the cavernous structure, the sound buzzing, thrumming [...]
By: Douglas Love, Grand Historian. Tucked in the golden foothills of the Mother Lode is a jewel of a town. As a matter of fact, it is known as “The Jewel of The Mother Lode” and it is Sutter Creek. Sutter Creek was founded by John Sutter in 1846 as a lumber camp. The [...]
Efforts to Preserve Historic Knight Foundry Get a Boost May 2, 2017 The Knight Foundry facility (Sutter Creek, California) was recently donated to Sutter Creek, California. The facility made its last casting in 1996, and there was concern about its future. It was placed on a list of endangered historic places by the National Trust [...]
Amador Ledger Dispatch article by Deborah Cook on April 9 (updated April 27), 2017. "Sutter Creek is home to many historic treasures, but none so unique as Knight Foundry. This engineering marvel was the product of the dreams and imagination of Samuel Newman Knight, a native of Maine, who came to California in 1862. Before [...]
Amador Ledger Dispatch article by Deborah Cook on April 4 (updated April 27), 2017. "I am sure that most of you readers are aware that due to a generous donation by the former owner, the historic Knight Foundry was gifted to the City of Sutter Creek. A fundraising effort is now underway to raise $325,000 [...]
Amador Ledger Dispatch article by Deborah Cook on April 16 (updated April 27), 2017. "Just three short blocks off Highway 49 in Sutter Creek, straddling both sides of Eureka and Borgh Way, sits one of the most unique industrial factories in the United States – Knight Foundry. This water-powered wonder has sat mostly idle for [...]
On April 5, 2017, "The Home Shop Machinist" newsletter was blasted out to its 50,000+ email database and it carried an article about Sutter Creek's Knight Foundry. THE HOME SHOP MACHINIST ARTICLE IN PART Knight Foundry A Historic Industrial Crown Jewel The Knight Foundry, set in the heart of Sutter Creek, California, began operation during the [...]
The Knight Foundry Alliance (http://www.knightfoundry.com) and the Sutter Creek Community Benefit Foundation (SCCBF) jointly held a community fund raising, open house on Sunday, April 2, 2017 at Knight Foundry. Located in Sutter Creek CA, the Knight Foundry is a premier relic of the Mother Lode gold mining history. The Foundry is America’s last water-powered cast [...]
Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) newsletter, which featured Sutter Creek's Knight Foundry & Machine Shop was distributed world-wide in April 2017. The article, found on pages 27-29, was written by Kimberly Wooten who lives in Jackson. Kimberly is a professional historian/archaeologist and is the Pacific West Research Coordinator for SHA.