Entry No. 14 — the Sacramento file — filed under: blacksmithing

Knight Foundry

The last water-powered foundry and machine shop left in the United States: an 1873 Gold Rush-era works whose Pelton-wheel forerunner turbine still runs on flowing water, not electricity, to drive belts and hammers through a preserved 19th-century industrial shop.

The move: Sign up together for a California Blacksmith Association Level 1 class ($55, held the second Monday and fourth Saturday each month, 9am-2pm) and spend the morning learning forge-welding and tapering under CBA-certified instructor Dennis Tingle inside a National Historic Landmark machine shop, then wander the rest of Sutter Creek's gold-country main street.

• 📍 Sutter Creek (Amador County)
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 81 Eureka Street, Sutter Creek, CA 95685

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site · Atlas Obscura · Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-20