Establishing a New York Business Presence

By 1865, we had established a business presence at 42 John Street in New York City, complementing our manufacturing operations in Camden, New Jersey. Evidence from May 1865 places Richard Esterbrook at that address, and surviving company advertisements from the period identify 42 John Street as R. Esterbrook & Co.'s New York warehouse. ©The Esterbrook Project That year, Richard Esterbrook Jr. moved with his family to Long Island and took responsibility for the New York office. The arrangement reflected an emerging division between the company's manufacturing and commercial operations: steel pens continued to be made at the United States Steel Pen Works in Camden, while the New York location provided a warehouse and business base in one of the country's principal commercial markets. Contemporary advertisements listed the Camden factory alongside warehouses in Philadelphia and at 42 John Street in New York. ©The Esterbrook Project The John Street address was relatively short-lived. Historical research indicates that the New York office moved to 51 John Street in late 1866 and subsequently to other addresses in the city's commercial district.