Established in 1997, the California Foundry History Institute (CFHI) is a non-profit educational organization incorporated in the state of California and dedicated to the collection and preservation of historical records pertaining to the history of the foundry industry in California. An important part of this work is the recording, preservation, indexing, and transcription of oral interviews with the men and women who have played a significant role in the development of the foundry industry in California. CFHI also collects and preserves documents, photographs, artifacts and ephemera related to the history of foundries in California. Much of this historical information can be seen at the two CFHI museums in Lodi and McClellan (near Sacramento). The McClellan museum participates in Sacramento County’s annual Museum Day where hundreds of visitors tour Sacramento’s museums.
The museums offer photographs, manuscripts, and examples of foundry technology for visitors to explore, along with guided tours for schoolchildren and regular visitors. The site offers a five minute introductory video, visitor information for the museums, an events calendar, and online access to the institute's archives.