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Charles Woods, above, and David Osborn purchased the Miners Foundry in 1972 to house the American Victorian Museum.
The legacy of the Miners Foundry is arguably built on its preservation.
After 150 years, the eclectic Nevada City building known for the birth of the Pelton Wheel, remains one of the most prolific buildings in western Nevada County. And thanks to Charles Woods and David Osborn, its legacy is still being blazed.
“It was such an historic building. It was the largest space in Nevada City, under one roof,” recalled Woods, who, along with Osborn, purchased the building in 1972 to house the American Victorian Museum.
At the time, the foundry was in danger of being bulldozed for another freeway ramp for truckers moving in and through the tiny city, Woods said.
“We'd been collecting antiques for years,” Woods said. “So we needed somewhere to put them.”
This Sunday, the foundry will celebrate its 150th anniversary with a four-hour free party 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. offering food and entertainment. There will be performances by the Humbugs and the Cornish Choir, Dexter cows (symbolizing how the original idea for the Pelton Wheel was inspired), historical displays from the Railroad Museum, Idaho-Maryland Mine and the American Victorian Museum as part of a large contingency of groups and organizations that have shaped the history of the Miners Foundry.
For 14 years, Woods and Osborn, who died in 2002, operated the museum before selling it. The two had met in Berkeley while in graduate school for art history. Their specialty was restoration. The Miners Foundry needed plenty of it, Woods said.
“It was really quite a big affair,” Woods said. “(The previous owners) let the rain fall through it. When they left they took out all the heat. Once, we heard a report from all of the old people that it was so noisy in there, because it was a machine shop, that the manager or the guy running the place would shoot a gun in the air to get the workers' attention. That's probably why we found so many holes in the ceiling.”
Woods and Osborn worked as a duo on their art in the museum as well as several restoration projects they took up together between Nevada City and San Francisco. The two sold the building to the Nevada City Winery, which donated it to the trust that owns the building today. But while the two were owners, they were known for bringing the entire community together for foundry events.
“One of the really remarkable things about Charles and David was they were really able to engage the community,” said Gretchen Bond, executive director of the Miners Foundry. “While they came in and spent their own money getting the American Victorian Museum, they actually gave it back to the community as their charge, so to speak, to care for.
“They had a significant amount of volunteers,” Bond continued. “KVMR started here. They didn't just stand around and order people. They created a space for creativity to continue to flourish.”
Today, the Miners Foundry serves as an iconic cultural center in one of the famed gold rush towns of California.
It's a much different setting from its inconspicuous beginnings as a machine shop in 1859, producing the machinery necessary for gold extraction in the Sierra Foothills.
Woods will attend Sunday's festivities, representing the American Victorian Museum and presenting older photographs for display. His and Osborn's contributions cannot be overlooked, Bond said.
“The legacy that lives on of theirs is creative spirit,” Bond said. “They were able to look at something and see how it can be completely different. And they were able to envision a cultural center where everyone (would be) able to enjoy it.”
To contact Staff Writer and Online Community Manager Zuri Berry, e-mail zberry@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4244.
After 150 years, the eclectic Nevada City building known for the birth of the Pelton Wheel, remains one of the most prolific buildings in western Nevada County. And thanks to Charles Woods and David Osborn, its legacy is still being blazed.
“It was such an historic building. It was the largest space in Nevada City, under one roof,” recalled Woods, who, along with Osborn, purchased the building in 1972 to house the American Victorian Museum.
At the time, the foundry was in danger of being bulldozed for another freeway ramp for truckers moving in and through the tiny city, Woods said.
“We'd been collecting antiques for years,” Woods said. “So we needed somewhere to put them.”
This Sunday, the foundry will celebrate its 150th anniversary with a four-hour free party 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. offering food and entertainment. There will be performances by the Humbugs and the Cornish Choir, Dexter cows (symbolizing how the original idea for the Pelton Wheel was inspired), historical displays from the Railroad Museum, Idaho-Maryland Mine and the American Victorian Museum as part of a large contingency of groups and organizations that have shaped the history of the Miners Foundry.
For 14 years, Woods and Osborn, who died in 2002, operated the museum before selling it. The two had met in Berkeley while in graduate school for art history. Their specialty was restoration. The Miners Foundry needed plenty of it, Woods said.
“It was really quite a big affair,” Woods said. “(The previous owners) let the rain fall through it. When they left they took out all the heat. Once, we heard a report from all of the old people that it was so noisy in there, because it was a machine shop, that the manager or the guy running the place would shoot a gun in the air to get the workers' attention. That's probably why we found so many holes in the ceiling.”
Woods and Osborn worked as a duo on their art in the museum as well as several restoration projects they took up together between Nevada City and San Francisco. The two sold the building to the Nevada City Winery, which donated it to the trust that owns the building today. But while the two were owners, they were known for bringing the entire community together for foundry events.
“One of the really remarkable things about Charles and David was they were really able to engage the community,” said Gretchen Bond, executive director of the Miners Foundry. “While they came in and spent their own money getting the American Victorian Museum, they actually gave it back to the community as their charge, so to speak, to care for.
“They had a significant amount of volunteers,” Bond continued. “KVMR started here. They didn't just stand around and order people. They created a space for creativity to continue to flourish.”
Today, the Miners Foundry serves as an iconic cultural center in one of the famed gold rush towns of California.
It's a much different setting from its inconspicuous beginnings as a machine shop in 1859, producing the machinery necessary for gold extraction in the Sierra Foothills.
Woods will attend Sunday's festivities, representing the American Victorian Museum and presenting older photographs for display. His and Osborn's contributions cannot be overlooked, Bond said.
“The legacy that lives on of theirs is creative spirit,” Bond said. “They were able to look at something and see how it can be completely different. And they were able to envision a cultural center where everyone (would be) able to enjoy it.”
To contact Staff Writer and Online Community Manager Zuri Berry, e-mail zberry@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4244.
