National Register of Historic Places

Knight's Foundry and Shops

Sutter Creek, Amador County, California
Listed
June 30, 1975
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
75000423

About this property

Knight Foundry, also known as Knight's Foundry and Shops, is a cast iron foundry and machine shop in Sutter Creek, California. It 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 impulse water turbine 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 the United States. A 42-inch (107 cm) Knight Wheel drives the main line shaft, with smaller water motors powering other machines.

Location

13 Eureka St.
Sutter Creek, Amador County, California
38.39356, -120.79995

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCEENGINEERINGINVENTION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Sutter Creek Grammar School
Civil War
0.1 mi
Chichizola Family Store Complex
Listed
2.3 mi
Kennedy Mine Historic District
Industrial
2.4 mi
Kennedy Tailing Wheels
Industrial
2.8 mi
Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church
Industrial
2.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Knight's Foundry and Shops listed on the National Register?

Knight's Foundry and Shops was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 30, 1975.

What type of historic resource is Knight's Foundry and Shops?

Knight's Foundry and Shops is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Knight's Foundry and Shops?

The period of significance for Knight's Foundry and Shops is recorded as the industrial era.

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