39 replies to this topic

[Pedro]

The Sheaffer Pen Museum Grand Opening was today! What a great event!
I will post a report later but need help to post about 250 photos total or 70 photos of pens only.

[david i]

The Sheaffer Pen Museum Grand Opening was today! What a great event!
I will post a report later but need help to post about 250 photos total or 70 photos of pens only.

Look forward to it. Possibly we can create an Album in Gallery specifically for Sheaffer Museum, but I believe you'd still have to upload images one at a time, due to constraints on the Gallery software. Possibly the next Boardware will have upgrade to allow multiple uploads..

-d

[Pedro]

Sheaffer Pen Tour, Fort Madison, Iowa






My small road trip took me through many small towns full of history in rural Illinois until crossing the mighty Mississippi at Burlington, Iowa and heading south to Pen City. Fort Madison, Iowa is also known as Pen City because it was the home of The Sheaffer Pen Company. This past weekend was the grand opening of the Sheaffer Pen Museum and I had to be there to enjoy and learn about the history of the company, their products and those that ran it.




Heading south on US61 you are close to Fort Madison when you see the beautiful McConn barn, a bank-basement, double decker Dutch barn with three cuppolas. It's still used today!






Slow down as you go downhill and turn at the Hillcrest Memorial Park, an unassuming cemetery with no monuments.



Stay on the left path and at the very end, beyond a dead oak there is a round covered bench and the plaques marking the final resting place of the Sheaffer family.

[Pedro]

Downhill on US61 stay on the left lane, enjoy the MiniGolf, the TasteeFreeze and please do not pay attention to the Iowa State Penitentiary, the first and still maximum security prison west of the Mississippi.






Turn left on Avenue G and there's a nice area to see the Santa Fe Bridge, the largest double-decker swing-span bridge, as it rotates to allow barges sail through.






Behind the prison and uphill turn right into High Point: the last 3 homes belonged to the Shaffer family. The very last belonged to Walter A. and is being restored.



The driver's quarters , with the underground 3-car garage, are across the home. Gone is the large maple tree, that was moved from a quarter mile away on rollers, but there still is the large mound where it sat. The previous two homes belonged to Walter II and Craig, but are now private residences. All enjoy a superb view of the river from atop the bluff.

[Pedro]

Returning into Pen City, at 301 Avenue, drive around of what remains of the Sheaffer headquarters building.



The local two-way streets were changed to allow workers easy access to the large parking lot and easy exit into either US61 or back to town. The sidewalks were heated, eliminating shoveling snow and accidental falls. The building had its own electrical plant and water treatment plant. Everything was manufactured in-house. On the third floor the boss had the corner office, with the best view overlooking the Santa Fe Bridge on the Mississippi.






Across the street is The Lone Chimney, a replica to commemorate the only remaining structure after the original military Fort Madison was burnt in 1813.




Continue into town and turn into Riverview Park. Here you will first see Engine #2913, a Baldwin steam locomotive built in 1944, used to transport war equipment, capable of 120mph.



Old Fort Madison is a replica of the original fort, the first US Military post in the area to protect the trading post from indian attacks. Take some time to hear the narrated history and workings of the old fort.

[Pedro]

Returning west on Ave H, turn into the old Santa Fe Depot, the only one that remains intact from its era.






It is now a museum with items of the town's history, including many interesting Sheaffer items. There is a gold balance that was owned by W. S. Kay, a New York nib maker that Sheaffer brought to train his employees





a collection of employee service anniversary pins from 5years to 45 years of service






many pens from the different eras






and a Sheaffer safe.






Both the depot and its Art Center are being raised from their foundations to avoid flood damage, its worst happened in 1993.

[Pedro]

Fort Madison is easy to navigate, with numbered streets and letter avenues. Heading west at Avenue I and 12th Street is Plant #5. It was Sheaffer's tool and die plant that also provided their services to many other companies.






On Ave I and 13thSt, is one of the oldest homes in Iowa. It is a rundown and crumbling brick home with ivy growing on the side of the chimney.




Plant #2 at Avenue O and 20th Street is also known as the "War Plant".






The old rusting water tower with the faded letters still stands.






Sheaffer built air bomb and artillery fuses, and radio auto-tune mechanisms for our airplanes to avoid detection through radio signal triangulation.



All can be seen at the Museum. It was later used to bottle and ship Skrip ink.

[Pedro]

Returning east into downtown, stop at 805 Avenue G, the Bushong jewelry shop.





The jewelry has the displays and grandfather clock that Sheaffer sold when he left the jewelry business to make pens. All the brass pulls are adorned with the Star of David.








Dana Bushong, great grandfather of the current owner, worked for Sheaffer carving the gold Signature bands!






732 Avenue G was Walter A Sheaffer's first jewelry store in town, the Sheaffer's Saunders Jewelry.








He built his second store at #726 and stayed until 1913, it's where he devised the fountain pen lever-fill mechanism.

[Pedro]

At the corner of Avenue G and 7th Street is the Hesse Building. Built in 1869 as the city's first meat market, then the Hesse Clothing Store. The first Sheaffer Pen Factory was in the second and third floors between 1914 and 1917. I had a great breakfast and a pack sandwich lunch at the Ivy Bake Shoppe & Café.






Just a few steps after lunch at #627 Avenue G is the new Sheaffer Pen Museum. It is definitely chock full of pens, from the early FlatTop to the Valor, with many models I had never seen. Look closely or you may miss prototypes among all the pens. We boarded the short bus for the Sheaffer tour and were fortunate to have Sam Fiorella accompany and narrate.






Definitely stop by Frank & Sam's Pendemonium at 619 Avenue G. They have a most unique, wonderful store full of surprises and the Sheaffer's driving tour brochure.






At the corner of 7th Street and Avenue F you find the North Lee County Courthouse. It was built in 1840 and is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in Iowa, with 4 large columns highlighting its Greek Revival style.






Fort Madison has 2 small parks and both are between Avenues E & F. Old Settler's Park at F & 4th there's a nice bandstand.






Central Park at F & 9th has an original bandstand built in 1910 and an artesian fountain.



Both parks are great for a nice picnic or a rest break.

[Pedro]

Sheaffer’s first home in Fort Madison, was a modest house at 1121 Avenue C, rented in 1908.






In 1909 he moved his family to the Albright house (built by the daughter of Betsy Ross, the creator of the U.S. flag) at 718 Ave F.






In 1914 he moved again to a handsome Victorian brick house at 833 Avenue E.






The Sheaffer Clubhouse is at 331 Avenue D, uphill on 4th Street, and was used for many different activities and meetings.

[Pedro]

If you feel like spoiling a good walk, the Sheaffer Memorial Golf Course is at 1760 308th Ave. and has its own Aggie's Restaurant & Bar.



You can take the country road to loop back to US61 before the McConn Barn.




We stayed at the nice Kingsley Inn, 707 Ave H.



It is right across Riverview Park so you will hear a soft roar as the 90 or so trains pass Fort Madison every day. It has excellent and clean accommodations and a great continental breakfast in their upstairs dining room. After a good drink at the bar, we had a very nice steak dinner at their restaurant, Alpha's on the Riverfront. We also had a great supper at the Hill Side Inn and good brews at the Lost Duck Brewing.

[Pedro]

The Sheaffer Pen Museum has some very nice exhibits, among these:

Early hard rubber pens in black, red and mottled hard rubber with different chasing patterns






Pens exhibiting many metal overlay designs






Sheaffer's patent application drawing for the lever-fill mechanism, with his signature under Inventor, filed Mar. 2, 1908






Sheaffer's Cherry Red rod stock with some pens and a pencil made from the material.






FlatTops of all sizes in Black & Pearl and a sheet of the celluloid.






A whole case full of WASP, Craig and Univer, second tier pens and pencils.








The Sheaffer Balance case is my favourite as it had pens by colour with their own stock rod.






It also has a set of 3 Balance cutaway demonstrators






Transitional or Half Balance prototype with a nice explanation of the model






a Double Pencil with a red dot






a prototype pen in Blue and White Wild celluloid and a prototype Jade golf pencil with a Red quill end.






and a prototype white colour in marbled and in a woven pattern






My favorite Sheaffer celluloid






There are cutaways, demonstrators, drafting plans, overlay designs, lamps, desk bases, ink bottles, photographs, videos and an enclosed area with some of the original factory shop machines amply showing the ingenuity of pen making. There are so many more interesting exhibits you should definitely come and see.




Please visit and sponsor the Sheaffer Pen Museum.

[david i]

Pedro, that's a remarkable presentation. Thanks for sharing.

I wonder how many people know Sheaffer is in its 100th year of sales. Next year is the formal 100th anniversary, marking completion of 100 years.

-d

[Pedro]

Thanks David. I just wanted to present it so that others may take the same path.
Next, I need to add more pen pictures, mostly from the Balance case......but if other models interest you.....

[Teej47]

"The Triumph Safe & Lock Company"
Now ain't that interesting...


Tim

[Pedro]

As promised here are some more Balance pens from the Sheaffer Pen Museum:



Black








Jade Green






Pearl and Black






Marine Green

[Pedro]

Red Veined Grey Pearl






Blue






Grey Pearl






Ebonized Pearl






Golden Brown Striated

[Pedro]

Grey Pearl Striated






Rose Glow Striated






Marine Green Striated






Carmine Red Striated






Hopefully some more soon…

[jonro]

Pedro, thanks for posting these great shots from Fort Madison and the museum.

[barriep]

A fascinating tour and a great visual tutorial, especially on all the balances. Thank you.