Opening of the United States Steel Pen Works

In 1861, we opened our Camden, New Jersey factory in the former Camden Water Works property on Cooper Street. The site stood close to the Delaware River, on land that is now between Front Street and Jersey Joe Walcott Boulevard. We called the factory the United States Steel Pen Works. ©The Esterbrook Project The operation was modest at first. An 1890 industrial history of Camden described the original factory as small and producing only ten varieties of steel pens. An advertisement dated 13 July 1861 confirms that R. Esterbrook & Co. was operating its Camden works that year, identifying the business as the “United States Steel Pen Manufactory” and giving its works location as Camden, New Jersey. Camden History The Cooper Street works remained our principal manufacturing site for more than a century, expanding considerably as the business grew before production was eventually moved to Cherry Hill, New Jersey.