The Knight Foundry, set in the heart of Sutter Creek, California, is America's last water-powered foundry and machine shop. Established in 1873 by Samuel Knight, this extraordinary facility includes the unique historic equipment and machinery, still in place in its original context, just as it was during its Gold Rush-era heyday.
Knight Foundry is nationally recognized as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark and a California Registered Historical Landmark. The Foundry is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was named by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America's eleven most endangered historic places.
Knight Foundry is nationally recognized as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark and a California Registered Historical Landmark. The Foundry is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was named by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America's eleven most endangered historic places.
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Please help us preserve and restore the historic Knight Foundry. After an unprecedented fundraising effort the City of Sutter Creek can proudly say that it owns the property, the buildings, and the contents of this historic jewel. Now the real work is under way to reach our long-term goal: to turn Knight Foundry into a world-class interactive museum and educational center.
We visited the foundry yesterday and took the tour. It was fantastic! The way you have it arranged let us take our time and get answers to any questions we had. You have a great group of well informed and friendly docents that made us feel as if we were talking with old friends. They were all enthusiastic about the foundry and machine shop and it showed that they cared a lot about it.
You don't need an eBay account to shop on eBay. When you're at the Foundry, please visit our onsite Gift Shop, 100% owned and operated by Knight Foundry Alliance volunteers. A charming balance of old and new, today's Sutter Creek maintains its Gold Rush facade while catering to the wants and needs of visitors from around the world.
Help support the transformation of Knight Foundry into a world-class industrial museum and educational facility. Whether you live around the corner or thousands of miles away, you can participate in one of the most significant and historic industrial restoration projects in recent history. As a member, you'll be an integral part of Knight Foundry's future.
We have recently developed four posters to highlight the Owner/Operators of Knight Foundry. The most recent is Carl W. Borgh, then Herman Nelson, then Dan Ramazzotti and then Samuel Knight. These are now displayed in the Office at the Foundry where these men lived and worked. Thanks always to Larry Angier/Image West Photography for the layout and design.
Reviews (12)
Deborah Fox
Jan 13, 2022
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Bill Wray
Sep 04, 2021
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Very interesting and tourist oriented, the Knight foundry is fully operational and offers docent led tours of the foundry and machine shop. The entire operation was at one time powered by a large water wheel and the belt drive system in the ceiling is still operational, powers machines in the shop. If you go, note the largest lathe has only 17 horsepower and that means the more accurate the foundry is with leaving enough but not too much material for that lathe to take off is one fine point of the skills required to do this job. They don't teach those skills in a school.
Bob Greene
Jul 18, 2021
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Clear Fog
May 27, 2021
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This is an historic site. It is now fully operational with metal pours and blacksmithing demonstrations. There are tours conducted by people who know how a foundry works. There are many original pieces of machinery. There are many displays with explanations and old photos. Great experience in the way things were.
Bartellj
Feb 09, 2021
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Knight Foundary is a national treasure. It’s the last water powered foundry in the United States possibly in the world. This group of volunteers work very hard to keep the hundred year old machines operating the way they did during the gold rush. It’s well worth a visit. Also the town of Sutter Creek is very charming.
NoeHill Webmaster
Dec 13, 2020
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Knight Foundry was established in 1873 to supply heavy equipment and repair facilities to the gold mines and timber industry of the Mother Lode. Samuel N. Knight developed a high speed, cast iron water wheel which was a forerunner of the Pelton Wheel design. Knight Wheels were used in some of the first hydroelectric plants in California, Utah, and Oregon.
This site is the last water powered foundry and machine shop in California. A 42-inch Knight Wheel drives the main line shaft, with smaller water motors powering other machines.
This site is the last water powered foundry and machine shop in California. A 42-inch Knight Wheel drives the main line shaft, with smaller water motors powering other machines.
Jordan Vangelder
Dec 11, 2019
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Jesse Casey
Jun 20, 2019
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Lisa J.
Dec 10, 2018
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Mindy W.
Jul 18, 2018
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The first time I happened upon this spot it was run down with trees growing out of the building. The volunteers who have worked to bring this place back to life did an amazing job! The tours take you back to a time before electricity and the docents walk you through each step of the process to building molds and actually casting iron. The Knight Foundry is a historic part of not only Sutter Creek, but of California and is a fascinating place to visit if you are in the area.
Yeahoo W.
May 13, 2018
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Not for everybody. If, however, you're interested in learning how stuff that will rust away first started out as molten iron poured into sand cast molds using wooden templates to produce rough castings that are then precision machined into a finished product, then you will be fascinated. Back in the day, this boomtown place was a total manufacturing center. All without the aid of electric power, air conditioning, internal combustion engines, or CAD/CAM software. Water power, sweat, pencil, paper, ruler, and horse drawn wagons. Historic.
Bob M.
May 13, 2018
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The guided tour of this historic facility was amazing. The docents knew the works so well that they could explain the process from a customer's need to the final cast product. Great video presentations completed the presentation to the point where you could almost feel the heat from the furnace. If you are even just a bit curious about how they made those huge gears and wheels in the past, you will find the answers here. The people are especially friendly and interesting.
