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PIPEMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Missouri Meerschaum Company:
Corn Cob Pipes, 150 Years Strong The company that invented the corn cob pipe and put its community on the map continues to dominate its niche category. > STAFF REPORT
H
ugging the southern bank of the Washington River some 50-odd miles west of St. Louis, the small city of Washington, Missouri has long been known as the “Corn Cob Pipe Capital of the World.” This year, the company that pioneered that industry—Missouri Meerschaum—has been celebrating its 150th anniversary, having earned the unique distinction of being both the first and last corn cob pipe producer not only in Washington, but throughout the world. It’s also one of Missouri’s oldest factories, period. The city and the industry owes it all to company founder Henry Tibbe, a
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Dutch woodworker who emigrated with his family from Holland in 1866 after loosing his workshop there to fire. He ultimately settled in Washington to start a new life and easily found a market for his skills, opening a shop and supporting his family. Phil Morgan, general manager of Missouri Meerschaum Company, explains that the story of corn cob pipes actually starts with the early pioneers who came to America and attempted to mimic the Native American’s practice of whittling pipes from cobs. Legend holds that in 1896 a local farmer asked Tibbe if he could turn a few bowls out of corn
cobs on his lathe, and bore out the chambers on his borer. The process proved a natural, and Tibbe made some complete pipes of his own to sell in his shop. They proved to be local hit, and it wasn’t long before he was spending more time making pipes than on his woodworking. Withing a few years, production of corn cob pipes became his sole business. By 1872, the company H. Tibbe and Son had been formally established, consisting of Henry and his son Anton. The pair experimented with various fillers to both smooth the outside surface of the cobs and to provide greater longevity. The products were marketed as Tibbe Corn Cob Pipes. In 1878, the Tibbes received a U.S. patent for their process of improving the “durability and appearance” of cob pipes by filling the outside pores of the pipes with
