The Nevada Iron Foundry and Machine Shop was founded in 1855 to support the rapid expansion of industry (both gold mining and logging) in the Sierra Foothills during the Gold Rush. A California Historical Landmark, No. 1012, the Nevada Iron Foundry was the first manufacturer of the Pelton wheel and later supplied steel for the Transamerica building. The Foundry was an active site of steel fabrication until it was purchased by San Francisco artists in 1974, and who turned the Foundry into the American Victorian Museum. In 1989, the Nevada City Winery purchased the Foundry and donated it to the Nevada County Cultural Preservation Trust, who oversaw the building's transition into a multi-use community center.

Nevada City and the surrounding area are full of historically significant locations, such as the oldest continually-operating theater on the West Coast and the world’s first long-distance telephone line, and we hope you’ll have time to explore some of them!