Original Esterbrook Pen Company Ceases Operations

n 1971, the original Esterbrook business reached the end of more than a century of pen manufacturing. Founded by Richard Esterbrook in Camden, New Jersey, in 1858, the company had been acquired by the Venus Pencil Company in 1967 and subsequently operated as Venus-Esterbrook. Historical accounts record that Berol took over Venus-Esterbrook in 1971 and that Esterbrook operations ceased in connection with this period. Wikipedia Our own history describes the original Esterbrook Pen Company as having closed its doors in the 1970s rather than assigning a specific year. Independent pen histories, however, consistently identify 1971 as the end of the original company. Some sources note that facilities associated with Venus-Esterbrook remained in use into 1972, so 1971 is best understood as the year the original Esterbrook business ceased operations rather than necessarily the date on which every remaining facility was vacated.