Miners Foundry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids First Manufacturing Site of the Pelton Wheel |
|
|---|---|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | 325 Spring Street Nevada City, California, USA |
| Built | 1856 |
| Architectural style(s) | Native timber and stone |
| Governing body | Nevada County Cultural Preservation Trust |
| Designated | May 11, 1994 |
| Reference no. | 1012 |
The Miners Foundry is a historic building in Nevada City, California, USA. It was built in 1856. This place became famous because it was the first factory to make the Pelton wheel in 1879. Today, it is called the Miners Foundry Cultural Center. It is recognized as a special California Historical Landmark.
A Look Back at Miners Foundry
.png)
The Miners Foundry started as the Nevada Iron Foundry and Machine Shop. Edward Coker opened it in 1855. It was a place where metal was melted and shaped (a foundry). It also had a blacksmith shop. This first shop was in a rented building on Spring Street.
The foundry was built to help loggers and miners. These workers were part of the California Gold Rush. They needed tools and equipment for their work in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
In July 1856, a fire in Nevada City destroyed Coker's small foundry. After the fire, he bought a new piece of land. It was at the corner of Bridge and Spring streets. He began building a new, stronger building there. It was made from local wood and stone.
In 1857, the Nevada Foundry built its first complete steam engine. But before the new building was finished, Coker sold his business. David Thom, Thomas J. Williams, and J. Jones bought the machinery. By 1859, Jones had left the business. Williams sold his share to William Heugh. This left William Heugh and David Thom as the owners. They called their business the Nevada Iron and Brass Foundry and Machine Shop.
By 1866, they had about 22 workers. The next year, they made their largest metal object. It was a part for a quartz mill, weighing 5,600 pounds. People thought it was the heaviest object made in California at that time.
Heugh passed away in 1867. George Grant Allan bought his share of the business. Allan became David Thom's partner. Their foundry made many things for mining. This included stamp mills and mining tools. By 1868, about 150 men worked there. The factory had machine shops and boiler works. A 60-horsepower steam engine powered the machines. The foundry used a lot of raw materials. This included 1800 tons of pig iron (raw iron), 300 tons of wrought iron (shaped iron), and 700 tons of coal. In one month in 1872, a company called North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company bought $30,000 worth of goods.
The Amazing Pelton Wheel
In 1876, Allan bought out Thom. He changed the business name to George Allan's Foundry and Machine Works. During Allan's time, a man named Lester Allan Pelton invented something new. He was from Camptonville. In the late 1870s, he created a new type of water wheel.
Pelton brought his invention to Allan's foundry. He and Allan tested it there. This foundry then became the first place to manufacture the Pelton wheel. The Pelton wheel was very popular. The foundry could not make them fast enough. So, most of the Pelton wheel production moved to San Francisco. However, some Pelton wheels were still made at Allan's foundry.
In 1892, Allan brought his son, Albert D. Allan, into the business. His son later took over the whole business.
William H. Martin also owned a foundry nearby. In 1906, William H. Martin and others started the Miners Foundry Co. In 1907, W.H. Martin bought Allan's Foundry. He renamed it Miners Foundry and Supply Co. He owned it alone until 1921. Then, he gave ownership to his son-in-law, Richard Goyne.
Under Goyne, the foundry started making steel. It built mining tools and vehicles. Examples include the side-dump ore car and the ball mill. It also made vehicles for other businesses. In 1947, the company added new products. One part of the business sold welding and rubber supplies. Another part started making a centrifugal juicer.
Ray Amick owned the foundry from 1965 to 1974. Manufacturing at the foundry stopped in 1974. In 1972, the American Victorian Museum bought the building. Two years later, it became a non-profit cultural center. Today, about 50,000 people visit it each year.
A Historic Landmark
The Miners Foundry building was used as a factory for over 110 years. A special plaque was added to the site on May 11, 1994. It is a California Historical Landmark plaque, number 1012. It honors the Pelton wheel's history at the foundry. In 1986, two other groups added another marker.
On July 29, 2011, the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers played a private show there. The Nevada City Winery is also located in the Miners Foundry Garage. It was the first winery to open in Nevada County after Prohibition in the United States.
See also
