CCHE 5 Min Presentation, 13 Dec 04 Good evening, my name is Jay McCauley and I am a member of the Board of the Knight Foundry Corporation. With me is Board Treasurer Margaret Mills. I’d like to begin by thanking the staff and the Board for their consideration of the proposed CCHE grant, which will be used to acquire, stabilize, preserve and enable the return to operation the Knight Foundry. Composed of 12 historic buildings on a 1-1/2 acre site in the small town of Sutter Creek, in rural Amador County, the Knight Foundry is an intact, century-old machine shop complex.  The site is the last remnant of the once extensive network of iron works, machine shops and forges that supported the mining and logging industries. It is an Amador County Landmark (1967), a California Historic Landmark (1992), and on the National Register of Historic Places (1974).  In 1995 it was designated a National Mechanical Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.  The following year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation selected the Knight Foundry as one of America’s Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places. The Foundry is the last surviving example of a water-powered, gray iron foundry and machine shop in the United States. This extraordinary site is still in jeopardy and deserves Endowment support. The Knight Foundry weaves many of the threads of the CCHE program into a rich tapestry. In the interests of brevity, let me highlight one thread, the Foundry as an economic entity. The explosive growth of industry in California is an underrepresented thread in our current cultural resources, such as historical parks and museums. California’s economic strength rests on its visionaries and entrepreneurs. Samuel Knight was both, and created products such as early hydroelectric equipment that spurred the transition to an economy based on electric power. Though imperiled by time, flood, and fire, the original timber framed structures of the Foundry are still there, connecting the present to the past. A revitalized Knight Foundry will be an important asset to the future of Sutter Creek and the entire region as it will be a prime destination for tourists, students and craftspeople. In addition to static displays and interpretation, through planned living history programs, classes in foundry and machine shop techniques, and other outreach programs, visitors to the Knight Foundry will be able to experience the living cultural heritage of a late 19th – early 20th century, working foundry. Basic industries like the Knight Foundry formed the foundation for the highly sophisticated industrial economy that California now has. The CCHE grant will enable this unique resource to be there in the future as a dynamic illustration of how hardworking people, many of whom were emigrants, helped create the California we know today.  We are confident that the Board will be pleased with the results of funding the Knight Foundry Corporation. Thank you. Mrs. Mills and I would be happy to take any questions in the remainder of our time.