A significant anniversary will be celebrated in Fort Madison May 17-18.
The W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company was incorporated in the "Pen City" 100 years ago.
Sheaffer Pen has brought a lot of history and produced a lot of memories...
It got its start in the back room of the jewelry shop owned by founder Walter Sheaffer, who invented the lever-fill fountain pen.
The Sheaffer Pen Museum in Fort Madison will recognize the milestone with a series of community events.
Judy Burgin serves on the museum's board of directors.
She says even though the production lines were shut down in Fort Madison about five years ago, Sheaffer Pen still means a lot to the city.
"Sheaffer Pen has brought a lot of history and produced a lot of memories," says Burgin. "(At its peak), Sheaffer Pen employed more than 1,500 people locally. Those people are still around, (with) many of them working at the plant from high school graduation on. Sheaffer Pen actually put Fort Madison on the map."
The 100th anniversary celebration begins Friday morning with a golf outing at the Sheaffer Memorial Golf Course.
The Sheaffer Pen Museum will also be open throughout Friday and Saturday, with dignetaries and former Sheaffer Pen employees scheduled to speak.
A schedule of events can be found here.
