Nashoba Brook Pencil Factory Site
Encyclopedia
The Nashoba Brook Pencil Factory Site contains the ruins of a 19th century dam-powered pencil factory. This factory was one of several in Acton
and Concord, Massachusetts
at the time that brought important developments to pencil manufacturing. All that remain today of the factory are the ruins of its dam and a few mechanical components. The site is in the Nashoba Brook Conservation Area in Acton
, Massachusetts
, along Nashoba Brook and the old Davis
Road. Visitors can access the site by following a marked path in the Nashoba Brook Conservation Area.
in the 19th century. In 1812, William Munroe, a Concord-based cabinet maker, became the first American to successfully manufacture and sell wood-encased pencils. Munroe's main competitor later became the Thoreau family pencil business in Concord, run by John Thoreau, father of Henry David Thoreau
. John Thoreau's brother-in-law, Charles Dunbar, discovered a deposit of graphite in Bristol
, New Hampshire
, in 1821. In 1823, Dunbar asked John Thoreau to join him in manufacturing pencils from this graphite. Later, Dunbar left the firm, and it acquired the name John Thoreau & Company. Henry David Thoreau
worked at his family's factory for most of his adult life.
Ebenezer Wood was, like Munroe, a cabinet maker. It was perhaps this commonality that brought them together when Munroe hired Wood to help operate his two man-saw saw for cutting the pencil casings. Eventually, Wood brought additional machinery and automation into Munroe's factory .
Wood then started his own mill for grounding plumbago for the graphite used in pencils. Initially, Munroe was one of his customers. However, by the 1830s, he sold plumbago exclusively to the Thoreau company, a business relation that lasted many years . Henry David Thoreau
supposedly purchased his sketch pencils from Wood's factory .
and the "Wheeler Farm" site.
Acton, Massachusetts
Acton is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States about twenty-one miles west-northwest of Boston along Route 2 west of Concord and about ten miles southwest of Lowell. The population was 21,924 at the 2010 census...
and Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
at the time that brought important developments to pencil manufacturing. All that remain today of the factory are the ruins of its dam and a few mechanical components. The site is in the Nashoba Brook Conservation Area in Acton
Acton, Massachusetts
Acton is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States about twenty-one miles west-northwest of Boston along Route 2 west of Concord and about ten miles southwest of Lowell. The population was 21,924 at the 2010 census...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, along Nashoba Brook and the old Davis
Isaac Davis
Isaac Davis was a gunsmith and a militia officer who commanded a company of Minutemen from Acton, Massachusetts, during the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. In the months leading up to the Revolution, Davis set unusually high standards for his company in terms of equipment,...
Road. Visitors can access the site by following a marked path in the Nashoba Brook Conservation Area.
19th century Concord-based pencil industry
The American pencil industry started in ConcordConcord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
in the 19th century. In 1812, William Munroe, a Concord-based cabinet maker, became the first American to successfully manufacture and sell wood-encased pencils. Munroe's main competitor later became the Thoreau family pencil business in Concord, run by John Thoreau, father of Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
. John Thoreau's brother-in-law, Charles Dunbar, discovered a deposit of graphite in Bristol
Bristol, New Hampshire
Bristol is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,054 at the 2010 census. It is home to Wellington State Park, Sugar Hill State Forest, and Profile Falls on the Smith River...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, in 1821. In 1823, Dunbar asked John Thoreau to join him in manufacturing pencils from this graphite. Later, Dunbar left the firm, and it acquired the name John Thoreau & Company. Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
worked at his family's factory for most of his adult life.
Ebenezer Wood
The founder of the factory at this site was Ebenezer Wood (1792–1880). Wood brought several innovations to pencil manufacturing, such as the use of the circular saw and octagonal and hexagonal forms for wood pencil casings. The hexagonal form has since become common for pencils.Ebenezer Wood was, like Munroe, a cabinet maker. It was perhaps this commonality that brought them together when Munroe hired Wood to help operate his two man-saw saw for cutting the pencil casings. Eventually, Wood brought additional machinery and automation into Munroe's factory .
Wood then started his own mill for grounding plumbago for the graphite used in pencils. Initially, Munroe was one of his customers. However, by the 1830s, he sold plumbago exclusively to the Thoreau company, a business relation that lasted many years . Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
supposedly purchased his sketch pencils from Wood's factory .
Nashoba Brook mills
This factory was one of several mills that once drew power from Nashoba Brook. Upstream, on the other side of the Nashoba Brook Conservation Area, at 42°30′51.20"N 71°24′14.07"W, lies the Robbins Mill Pond Dam, which the town renovated in 1990. Downstream, by Brook Street, at 42°29′38.42"N 71°25′12.58"W, was another pencil factory .Trail Through Time
The Pencil Factory is due to be part of Acton's a "Trail Through Time", which is being developed to document the settlement and use of North Acton's Nashoba Brook. Besides the Factory site, other points on the trail will include the Potato CaveNashoba Brook Stone Chamber
The Nashoba Brook Stone Chamber is an underground stone structure in the woods of the Nashoba Brook Conservation Area of Acton, Massachusetts. Its more common name is the "potato cave", which comes from the traditional assumption that it was once used as a root cellar...
and the "Wheeler Farm" site.
Timeline
| 1792 | Ebenezer Wood born |
| 1812 | William Munroe starts manufacturing pencils |
| 1817 | Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist... born |
| 1821 | Charles Dunbar discovers graphite deposit in New Hampshire |
| 1823 | John Thoreau starts working with Dunbar |
| 1830s | Wood's mill starts grinding plumbago exclusively for the Thoreau's |
| 1837 | Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist... returns to Concord Concord, Massachusetts Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:... from Harvard University Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country... |
| 1862 | Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist... dies |
| 1880 | Ebenezer Wood dies |
| 1987 | Nashoba Brook Conservation Area opens |
| 1990 | Robbins Mill Pond Dam renovated |
| 1999 | Jeff LeBlanc builds site kiosk for Eagle Scout Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America) Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men... project |