Knight Foundry, California

Randy Hees · **Posted:** Wed Jan 04, 2017 8:59 pm

I just received word that the Knight Foundry and its collections are now property of the City of Sutter Creek.

The site includes a water powered machine shop, the foundry, its pipe shop and other buildings, as well as the tools, the patterns, and all else.

The foundry last poured iron in 1996... Much work will be required before it can be used again, but it is now saved.

Some of us have been working on this for 20 years... and had effectively given up hope.

Randy

ted66 · **Posted:** Wed Jan 04, 2017 10:45 pm

Folks,
The Knight Foundry has done good work for many preservation groups. I hope the City can make something good happen there.

ted66

David Dewey · **Posted:** Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:40 am

I saw one of the last pours, it's an amazing place, and can be a great resource for special piece for the preservation community--I hope the city can resurrect the site as a functioning foundry.

Dick_Morris · **Posted:** Thu Jan 05, 2017 7:33 am

Good news, but a Google search shows Sutter Creek has a population of around 2,500. Probably not much chance of financial support from that direction.

softwerkslex · **Posted:** Thu Jan 05, 2017 11:18 am

The same could have been said about Saratoga, CA fifty years ago. California seems to have no limits to its growth, and there is a lot of money out there. Sutter Creek is saying they want to preserve something before the whole town is Starbucks and condos.

wsflco · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:41 pm

Likely not much chance that iron will ever be poured again, but at least the facility is in preservation. Now the City needs to come up with the cash to purchase the machinery from the former owner. The Knight Foundry will likely be a "living history" format with tours to start with.

Randy Hees · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:27 pm

From discussions with locals...

The foundry/buildings/land was donated to the City. The City is under contract to purchase the contents for $320,000. (note the property without contents has been valued at between $600,000 and $1.2 million over the years... with or without allowance for contamination)

The process of acquisition was very fast, so there are many decisions and planning that will need to follow. The City has been given all the planning documents and preservation studies created by the non-profit, so they have some documentation to guide efforts.

There seems to be a feeling that they would like to occasionally pour iron, at least as a demonstration.

There is a large and active preservation community in Sutter Creek and Amador County, supporting the Kennedy Mine, and the Amador County Sawmill association...

Randy