Sheaffer Museum Opening

[DrPJM1]

I would like to know if any of you would be going to the opening of the Sheaffer Museum....maybe a meet & greet would be in order, it's always nice to put a face to the internet persona.

[ethernautrix]

I would LOVE to go! Alas, it's a tad too far....

 

Everyone who does go, enjoy it and report back!

[DrPJM1]

The Shaeffer Museum Grand Opening was a great event. Pics and report to follow.

Roger, Kirsch, Greg et al should visit real soon.

[pengoddess]

The Shaeffer Museum Grand Opening was a great event. Pics and report to follow.

Roger, Kirsch, Greg et al should visit real soon.

 

Thanks for visiting the museum, Pedro. Nice to meet you, we appreciate your support!

 

And thanks to others on FPN who stopped by the Grand Opening this weekend, too.

 

We had over 500 people come to the museum the last two days. Far exceeded my greatest expectations. We'll keep trying our best to continue improving the museum and provide special events. First I have to get some sleep though!

 

Sam

[DrPJM1]

Sheaffer Pen Tour, Fort Madison, Iowa

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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!

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Edited June 22, 2011 by DrPJM1

[DrPJM1]

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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

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

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many pens from the different eras

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and a Sheaffer safe.

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

[DrPJM1]

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.

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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".

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

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

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

 

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

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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.

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

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

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

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[DrPJM1]

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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

 

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

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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.

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

[DrPJM1]

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

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Pens exhibiting many metal overlay designs

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

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

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

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

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[DrPJM1]

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

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It also has a set of 3 Balance cutaway demonstrators

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

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a Double Pencil with a red dot

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

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

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My favorite Sheaffer celluloid

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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.

 

I would like to personally thank all those who made this museum possible. Please visit and sponsor the Sheaffer Pen Museum.

 

If you still have some time to kill, cross the Santa Fe bridge and spend some time in historic Nauvoo, Illinois.

 

If I missed or goofed anything, please let me know.

[Michael R.]

Wow!

 

Many thanks for the nice pictures!

 

I've been to Ft. Madison two times in the past as well and really enjoyed the stays.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[dannyboy]

For those of us who wanted to make the trip to visit the Sheaffer Museum but couldn't at this time, many, many thanks for this detailed and fascinating tour of Fort Madison, the Sheaffer plant and homes, and especially the great pens inside the museum!!! I was especially pleased to see all those pictures of various Sheaffer Balance pens--wow, WOW--your photos made me feel I was there. Again, thank you!

[Ladynib302]

What a wonderful service you have provided for the rest of us who are Sheaffer collectors and craved the opportunity to be present for the event, but were unable to do so. These are great photos and nicely narrated. It would be so nice if somehow, these photos could be put on a digital photo frame and exhibited at the forthcoming D.C. Pen Show; or, displayed as still shots on poster boards at the Show; perhaps, also at subsequent shows. Increased coverage in such a manner might attract some folks at the shows who are not currently FPN members We FPN'ers are fortunate to have these here for our own enjoyment as Forum members.

 

Perhaps these photos could be "pinned" by the Administrators to remain permanently for long-term enjoyment?? I know I will say special thanks to Sam at the D.C. Show in August for all the hard work put in to help this effort come to fruition. :notworthy1: :thumbup:

[pen2paper]

Yes! Thank You DrPJM1! A modern day version of "You Are There"..

Though I still wish to personally visit..

Also especially enjoyed the rod stock with the pens!

And agree.. All should see, and support this, please pin thread if possible.

[DrPJM1]

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

 

Black

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Jade Green

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Pearl and Black

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Marine Green

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Edited June 23, 2011 by DrPJM1

[DrPJM1]

Red Veined Grey Pearl

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Blue

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Grey Pearl

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Ebonized Pearl

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Golden Brown Striated

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[DrPJM1]

Grey Pearl Striated

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Rose Glow Striated

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Marine Green Striated

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Carmine Red Striated

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Hopefully some more soon…

[ogwen]

Thank you so much for the report and all your wonderful pictures! This is terrific! I especially liked the cutaways. Very cool.

 

--Jody

[DrPJM1]

These first two are from inside Old Fort Madison:

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This desk was owned by Hon. Beck from the Iowa State Supreme Court and was used by Abraham Lincoln:

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A Mechanical Pencil Cutaway:

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A Sheaffer Advertisement with real pens pictured:

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Thanks to all for your kind words, you are all most welcome.

 

Again, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all those involved with the Sheaffer Pen Museum.

Please support the museum by visiting, donating, volunteering, or by purchasing items from their store

 

The Sheaffer Pen Museum is at 627 Avenue G, in Fort Madison.

If you wish to make a donation, write PO Box 392, Fort Madison, IA 52627-0392.

Edited June 23, 2011 by DrPJM1

[noctrl02]

I love the Hon. Beck desk... I wonder if they take volunteers to dip test the pens as to keep them in working order?? I humbly volunteer.

 

Andy