In 1858, entrepreneur Richard Esterbrook established his pen company under the trademark Esterbrook Pen Company, which would soon become one of the biggest and most beloved pen makers in the world. At its height, Esterbrook was the largest pen manufacturer in the United States employing 600 workers.

Much of America’s history has been written and created with Esterbrook pens. U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation with their Esterbrook pens. John F. Kennedy called for our nation to literally reach for the stars, signing documents that promised to land a man on the moon and bring him safely back to earth.

Famous Disney artist Carl Banks brought Donald Duck to life with an Esterbrook No 356. Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz used the No 914 for all his comics. All the while millions of students grew up learning to write using Esterbrook pens. It is fair to say that these visionaries, and artists, helped Esterbrook to become an integrated part of America’s politics and culture in the 19th and 20th centuries.