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 for Historic Preservation.
Founded in 1873, the facility is the last water-powered foundry and machine shop in the U.S., and still has the machinery and equipment used during the gold rush.
Sutter Creek vice mayor Robin Peters said the donation of the facility and surrounding land could help its future.
“We see this as an educational facility, a working industrial facility from the 19th century that will help to pass on skills that will be lost otherwise,” Peters told Capital Public Radio.
For more information, visit http://knightfoundry.com.