Trip To Janesville

February 21, 2011

Having lived in South East Wisconsin my whole life I have never been to Janesville... that I can remember. I am thinking of taking a trip there soon. Are there stores, museums or old sites I should put on my list of places to see related to Parker or FPs in general?

February 21, 2011

There are three primary places that you can go to see something related to Parker. The first is the Rock County museum, which contains a Parker room with some great pens and other Parker company memorabilia. The second is the Rotary Garden, where one of the gardens has a gateway that was originally the archway that was the main entrance to the original Parker factory. The third place is the office building that was the last offices of Parker before they moved out of Janesville all together. This building still has a frieze from the original Parker building containing Jack Knife Safety pens. You can find the address for the first two on the web, but I've forgotten the address of the office building. Hopefully someone else can help on that.

A few photos from my visit to Janesville a couple of years ago are below.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb83/borderboss/Janesville/ParkerFriezefullsmall.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb83/borderboss/Janesville/ParkerFriezeclosesmall.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb83/borderboss/Janesville/RotaryGardenParkerBuildingArchsmall.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb83/borderboss/Janesville/RotaryGardenParkerBuildingArchplaqu.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb83/borderboss/Janesville/ParkerroomParkersalesconvention1925.jpg

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb83/borderboss/Janesville/Parkerroomcasefullsmall.jpg

February 21, 2011

Very nice photos, JD. Thanks for sharing them. It's so nostalgic to see those remnants of the great Parker domain.

February 22, 2011

The address for the office building that contains the concrete frieze, now called ONE PARKER PLACE, was right in John's posting, whether he knew it or not. This office building is actually the facelifted, refurbished original 1919 Parker Pen world headquarters located at 219 East Court Street as noted in the placque from one of John's photos posted. The building was originally all brick, as shown in the photo, but is now all white concrete on the outside. Can't miss it. It faces the county courthouse and the park in front of the courthouse. I have been there many times and still get goosebumps. Lot's of pen history there, though little tangibles left.

I am pleased that John posted these photos, inasmuch as I've been to Janesville many times (it is in my sales territory), because I was not aware that the original building's door arch was in Rotary Gardens. I will have to make a stop when the weather's better to take a look.

Further up Route 51 (no pun intended), otherwise known as North Parker Drive, is the original, intact Arrow Park, new headquarters built in 1953. It is now populated by a couple of companies unrelated to Parker. If you search "Panoramic, Janesville, WI" in google maps, you'll see the overhead view. You'll also have an opportunity to see the "street view" which shows the front of the building. Though it has a "Panoramic" sign, it is also still called "Arrow Park" as indicated by the sign on the front. The only thing missing is all the international flags that used to run up and down the front of the building.

The last two photos John posted, the Parker Band and the current day pen cabinet, are in the Parker Room from the museum. It is actually the Helen Jeffris Wood Museum at 426 N. Jackson St., Janesville. It is the home of the Rock County Historical Society. Here's an informative link.

Here are some photos I took from the Helen Jeffris Wood Museum Center in the Parker Room a couple of years ago. I had the pleasure of a long conversation with the curator and donated some vintage Parker ink bottles (full) from the 40's.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j316/mikelkirk99/Janesville/P1300105a.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j316/mikelkirk99/Janesville/P1300106a.jpg

The Parker Band photo is in this one:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j316/mikelkirk99/Janesville/P1300109a.jpg

And here's a placque of George S. in the room:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j316/mikelkirk99/Janesville/P1300111a.jpg

I think J.E. Hoover might have worn this but don't quote me on it:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j316/mikelkirk99/Janesville/P1300114a.jpg

OK, that's enough for now. Have I whetted your appetite enough? Any pen collector living within an hour or two drive from Janesville certainly should take a "pilgrimage" to see all this. I highly recommend it.

I've also had the pleasure of thoroughly touring Fort Madison, courtesy of Sam & Frank of Pendemonium. Now I'd like to figure out where there are any other pen related pilgrimages I can make in the midwest. I guess I can say I've been to the Ann Arbor home of J.G. Rider as well as where his Ann Arbor store once was. I wonder if Waterman has anything left.....

Oh yeah.....seeing as I'm pillaging Wisconsin this week and meeting up with the King & Queen of Esterbrook for dinner in Appleton tomorrow, I will probably swing through Janesville on my way back to get a quick pen rush.

Regards,

Edited February 22, 2011 by MLKirk

February 23, 2011

This morning, I scanned the USA TODAY issue and found an interesting article with an unexpected mention of Panoramic.

Panoramic is the current primary occupant of Arrow Park, as shown in this 2007 photo I took.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j316/mikelkirk99/Janesville/P1300003.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j316/mikelkirk99/Janesville/P1300002.jpg

Back then, when I took those shots, there was also another company partially occupying the building but I don't recall who that was.

In the USA TODAY story, entitled HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY CUTS JOBS NOW, PAYS OFF IN LONG TERM, it mentions how Panoramic, a Janesville, Wisconsin company, has installed eight $55,000 robots to help increase productivity as a result of the economic pressures of the downturn. It describes Panoramic, a packaging manufacturer, as a company that manufactures plastic packaging for desserts. It installed the robots after a 25% sales decline in 2009. The robots are assembly line robots assisting in handling and packaging for shipping. Sort of...a...packager for packaging packages full of packages. OK, that was a groaner.:embarrassed_smile:

As a veteran of the automotive industry, I see these robots are "lightweights" compared to what the car plants use. However, it is interesting to see Arrow Park has robots and current technology for a company that seems to be prospering and growing. I only hope that the Sheaffer plant in Fort Madison can achieve the same level of use some day. It currently stands unused in someone else's hands.

A tidbit of Parker related lore for you to digest.

So now....you know....the REST of the story.