September
7, 2001
Dear
Members and Friends of the Samuel Knight Chapter of the Society for Industrial
Archeology:
To begin, let us, your Board of Directors, apologize for the diminished activity in the past months. The purpose of this letter is to give you an update on the Chapter, and to outline our plans for the future. We request your help in restoring the vitality we have had in the past.
The
year 2000 was a very trying time for the Board, as we attempted to intervene in
events surrounding the Knight Foundry.
Fortunately, things have turned out for the best, with a new
organization, the Knight Foundry Corporation supporting the new owners of the
Foundry, Richard and Melissa Lyman. The
Knight Foundry Corporation Board of Directors includes a number of individuals
who are recognized experts in the field of Industrial Archeology, including
Walter P. Gray, the head of the California State Archives (and former head of
the California State Railroad Museum) and Eric DeLony, Chief of the Historic
American Engineering Record program of the National Park Service. We wish them well. In January, 2001, the Chapter Board requested that the City of
Sutter Creek disburse the funds donated to the Knight Foundry Preservation Fund
to the Knight Foundry Corporation.
The
activities surrounding the Foundry consumed a lot of energy, so we didn’t
organize as many Chapter activities as we had in the past. We did have a fascinating tour of the Black
Diamond Mines in last September, and a visit to History San Jose in October. A lack of publicity limited attendance at
these events, but those who made it to them had a good time.
Because
we’ve had very few membership renewals for 2001 (probably because we didn’t
send out anything asking for them) and because we haven’t had much Chapter
activity this year, the Chapter Board has voted a one time policy change for
membership renewals and new members.
Renewals and new memberships in the Chapter in the period 1 July 2001
through 31 December 2001 will automatically be extended to cover all of 2002!
The
few members who renewed in the first half of the year will also be extended.
(Note that this is for Chapter membership only, it does not apply to National
SIA membership.) So, renew or join now!
The
Chapter finances are in reasonable shape.
Our current (17 Aug 01) balance
is $1,184.47. This is enough to cover
planned activities and mailings for near term, but we will need your renewals
and new memberships to provide operating funds for 2002. We are working to achieve IRS 501(c)3 status
to permit tax deductible donations to the Chapter.
Looking
forward the Chapter Board has proposed the following steps to help revitalize
the Chapter:
Your
Chapter Board can’t accomplish this revitalization without your help. We hope
that you’ll join us in building a strong Chapter with a vibrant program of
activities and publications. If you
have comments, suggestions or even complaints, please feel free to contact any
or all of the current Chapter Board members:
The
rich heritage of Northern California provides a wealth of opportunities for
Industrial Archeology. Join us in
exploring and preserving links to our past!
Sincerely,
Tony,
Jay, Noel, and Nate
The Chapter is sponsoring a maritime tour covering sites of
interest in Richmond and Marin. The schedule for the day is:
10 am – Meet at
S.S. Red Oak Victory in Richmond for a tour of the ship. A $5 donation is required for this tour.
Noon
(approximate time) – Meet at Rosie the Riveter Memorial in Richmond for a
picnic and chance to view the park. Bring
your lunch!
1:30 pm – Tour
of US Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco Bay Model in Sausalito. We will
also view the Marinship 1942-1945 exhibit on the World War II ship-building
facility whose warehouse now houses the model.
If you’ve got the time and an Internet connection, check out the
web sites listed below to read more about each of these sites. Until then
here’s a brief description of each along with directions. We hope to see you
there!
To help keep
this tour organized, please RSVP by sending an email to meadow@infoasis.com or
calling Tony Meadow at 510 531 3416 by September 17. It’s ok to show
up even if you haven’t but we’d like to know how many people are planning to
attend.
Web site located at
<http://www.RedOakVictory.org> (URL no longer valid)
.
Red Oak Victory was launched on November 9, 1944, 87 days after
it’s keel was laid at Kaiser Shipyard Number 1, under a U.S. Maritime
Commission contract. The ship was the ninth of ten Kaiser “Boulder” class
Victory ships built for the Navy as ammunition carriers. It was
commissioned on December 5 as the USS Red Oak Victory AK 235 with Lt. Cmdr John
S. Sayers (USNR) as Commanding Officer. It served in the Caroline Islands and
the Philippines supplying ammunition to vessels ranging from battleships to
LST’s. It was transferred from the U.S. Navy to control of the Maritime
Commission in June, 1946. As the SS Red Oak Victory, it was operated by
Luckenbach Steamship Company from 1947 through 1953, in the latter part of this
service bringing military supplies to troops in Korea. It was put into
the Reserve Fleet in Astoria, Oregon, but brought out in 1958 to bring
emergency grain supplies to India and Pakistan. It again came out of the
Astoria Reserve Fleet as a cargo ship, operated by American Mail Lines during
the Viet Nam conflict, making a dozen trips to the far Pacific in the years
1966 through 1968. Placed in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in December, 1968,
the Red Oak Victory remained in “mothballs” until it was acquired by the
Richmond Museum Association in 1996.
Address & Directions
S.S. Red Oak Victory
Terminal 1, 1500 Dornan Drive
Richmond, CA 94801
510-237-2933 Ship
From the East and South - Take 580 west, take the Canal/Garrard
exit, turn right on Cutting, turn left on Garrard, go through the Ferry Point
Tunnel and follow Dornan to the big warehouse at the very end. This is Terminal
One.
From San Francisco - Take 80 east over the Bay Bridge to 580 west,
take the Canal/Garrard exit, turn right on Cutting, turn left on Garrard, go
through the Ferry Point Tunnel and follow Dornan to the big warehouse at the
very end. This is Terminal One.
Web site is located at <http://www.rosietheriveter.org
This site was formerly Kaiser Shipyard No. 2. Designed by visual
artist Susan Schwartzenberg and landscape architect/environmental sculptor
Cheryl Barton, the Rosie the Riveter Memorial: Honoring American Women’s Labor
During WWII is the first in the nation to honor and interpret this important
chapter of American history. A sculpture evoking a ship’s hull under
construction is made of stainless steel. “Image ladders” recall those used by
workers to traverse the prefabricated ship parts. Etched granite pavers begin
at the hull and cover the length of the keel walk, including a timeline of
events on the home front and individual memories of the period.
Directions (The Memorial is perhaps 2 miles from the S.S. Red Oak
Victory)
From San Francisco/Oakland:
From Bay Bridge, North on 80. West on 580 towards San Rafael
Bridge. Take Marina Bay Parkway/South 23rd Street exit. Turn left on Marina Bay
Parkway over the freeway and proceed to Regatta Way. Rosie the Riveter Memorial
Park is located within Marina Bay Park, at corner of Regatta and Marina Bay
Parkway.
US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: SAN FRANCISCO BAY MODEL
Web site is located at <http://www.spn.usace.army.mil/bmvc/bmvisit.html> (URL no longer valid)
and another second site sponsored by The Bay Model Association is located
at <http://www.baymodel.org/>.
The
San Francisco Bay Model is a United States Army Corps of Engineers’ research
facility. The Bay Model is located in the City of
Sausalito, in Marin County, California, on the west coast of the United States
of America, a few miles north of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. The
Bay Model is located less than a mile northwest of downtown Sausalito and the
Sausalito ferry terminal.
Address & Directions
San Francisco Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito,
CA 94965-1764. Telephone: (415) 332-3870 (recorded message), (415) 332-3871
(office)
Follow Highway 101 to the Sausalito - Marin City exit. Follow the
signs to Sausalito until you are driving towards downtown Sausalito on
Bridgeway. Look for small brown and white Bay Model direction signs. Turn left
on Harbor, then almost immediately turn right on Marinship Way and follow the
signs to the Bay Model. Note that the building containing the model and visitor
center is not on Bridgeway, but between Marinship Way and the waterfront. The
visitor’s entrance is located at the front of the building on the waterfront.
Membership
Renewal - RENEW NOW FOR MEMBERSHIP THROUGH THE END OF 2002
Membership
in the Samuel Knight Chapter is available in the following categories:
Individual $25
Couple $30 One copy of newsletter
Student $10 Please send copy of current ID
Senior $10 Age 65 or older
Contributing $60
Institutional $30
Sustaining $125
Corporate $100
Includes 4 memberships - please list names
To
join the Chapter, please send the survey form and a check or money order (made
out to the Samuel Knight Chapter) to the Chapter Secretary: Tony Meadow,
Secretary. 30 Pine Hills Court, Oakland, CA 94611
Name:
Address:
City,
State, Zip Code:
Telephone:
(Home or Work)
Email
address:
Samuel
Knight Chapter
Society for Industrial Archeology
c/o Anthony Meadow
30 Pine Hills Court
Oakland, CA 94611
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED