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History buffs, tourists, locals and pen collectors alike will be excited to come to Fort Madison, Iowa. There's a new museum there that might strike their fancy.

Sheaffer Pen Company held an International Opening of the Sheaffer Pen Museum for the Company's distributors, suppliers and partners Thursday although the museum, also known as "Pen City," officially opened to the public on June 17, 2011.

For a quick dose of history, click here to find "Pen City" on Facebook.

The many years of history are on display at the museum, beginning with the invention of W.A. Sheaffer's unique design and patent in 1908.

TheHawkeye.com reported that Sheaffer Pen closed four years ago and there has been plenty of interest in the museum for some time.

In their story, The Hawk Eye also included a complete history of the company noting that Walter Sheaffer did not complete high school but instead, worked hard and eventually purchased a jewelry store in Fort Madison, quickly finding success. He invented the first practical self-filling fountain pen. Click here to read the entire history. 

Bic still owns the Sheaffer name and White Dot trademark and has provided historic materials for the museum.

Actual members of the Sheaffer family were able to attend the official opening Thursday.

Tim Williams, general manager of Sheaffer Pen, noted that, "Everyone who works at Sheaffer is passionate about the Sheaffer brand and legacy. While building our wonderful brand for the future, we recognize all the achievements of Sheaffer's glorious past. A central pillar is the long-standing link of Sheaffer with Fort Madison, Iowa and its people - now perfectly captured in the wonderful Sheaffer Pen Museum which we are so proud to share with our distributors, suppliers and partners."

Are you looking for fun things to do in our area? Let us know if you visit "Pen City" ... we'd love to hear from you!