The history of Ticonderoga pencils is an interesting story that begins in 1812. Pencils are used today for a variety of uses and also come in various styles and shapes. Read on to learn more about how this company revolutionized the way we look at pencils.

In 1812, Joseph Dixon made his first pencil and the idea was born. From then on, he went to work establishing his company and, in 1827, he started what would later become known as the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company. Also, this company began selling graphite to people to use as a stovetop polish and later evolved to market graphite as a heat resistant product. He moved his company to Jersey City, New Jersey, where he had built his new factory. As the popularity of the pencil grew and demand increased, Dixon invented a machine that could produce pencils at a rate greater than 132 pencils per minute.

The Joseph Dixon Crucible Company was incorporated as a public company in 1868. In 1869, Joseph Dixon died, leaving his son-in-law in charge of the company. By 1872, the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company was mass manufacturing pencils, producing 86,000 pencils per day. In 1873, the company purchased the American Graphite Company, based in Ticonderoga, New York. Also, in 1873, the Dixon Ticonderoga pencil is released to the public.

Over the years, this highly successful company began acquiring and merging with other companies, such as the American Crayon Company in 1957 (which helped them acquire Old Faithful pencils, Prang crayons, and Tempera art supplies). And later, he took over the Wallace Pencil Company and its production facility located in Versailles, Missouri. And in 1983, the original company merged with the Bryn Mawr Corporation and officially became known as the Dixon Ticonderoga Company. After the name change, Gino N. Pala was named CEO and his headquarters moved to Vero Beach, Florida. From that point on, Dixon bought out another company, David Kahn Inc., and picked up their product, Wearever writing utensils.

From there, the headquarters moved twice, once in 1990 to Maitland, Florida and again in 1996 to Heathrow, Florida. A year after moving to Maitland, Florida, the company bought Vinci of Mexico and Dixon Ticonderoga launched Prang Soybean Crayons. In 2000, a manufacturing company was built in China. 2003 brought changes to the company, turning it into a purely consumer products company. In 2004, production in the United States ended when the company was purchased by the Italian company Fila-Fabbricca Italiana Lapis Ed Affini SpA They continue to manufacture writing utensils and the Ticonderoga pencil in factories located throughout the world in Asia, Italy, France. , Germany and Latin America.

These great products can be found today throughout the United States in department stores and office supply stores across the country. Dixon Ticonderoga high-quality pencils are available in various shapes, including, #1 (extra soft), #2 (soft), #2 1/2 (medium), #3 (hard), and #4 (extra hard). The design of these pencils is yellow, black, or American natural, which is a wood tone. And the metal band for the eraser is green and yellow. Eraser options can be found in traditional pink or black. Another option is “My First Ticonderoga,” which is a thicker, rounder option that was designed for smaller fingers. This company also makes a “green” option called EnvironSTIK, which is eco-friendly and contains no liner and features a green eraser. Since 2008, Ticonderoga Company has manufactured a variety of writing and drawing utensils, including dry-erase markers, permanent markers, and highlighters.

We hope that you have learned some interesting information about the rich history of Ticonderoga pencils, how the company began.