Knight's Foundry and Shops | |
 Knight Foundry exterior | |
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| Location | 81 Eureka Street, Sutter Creek, CA, 95685 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°23′36″N 120°47′1″W / 38.39333°N 120.78361°W |
| Built | 1873 |
| Architect | Samuel N. Knight |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000423 [1] |
| CHISL No. | 884[2] |
| Added to NRHP | July 1, 1975 |
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.[3] A 42-inch (107 cm) Knight Wheel drives the main line shaft, with smaller water motors powering other machines.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
CHLwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Bailey, Eric (August 8, 2007). "Old foundry a diamond in the rough". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-11-20.