Musgrave Pencil Company
Last verified: April 2026
Read our full verification: Is Musgrave Pencil Company Made in USA?Verification Summary
American Score
Manufacturing Location
Shelbyville, TN
Headquarters
Shelbyville, TN
Founded
1916
Products Verified
10 products
Evidence Breakdown
Factory Location Specificity
Specific factory city identified
Website Claim
Brand website explicitly claims Made in USA
Manufacturing History
20+ years of USA manufacturing
Known Overseas Production
No known overseas production
Verification Notes
Musgrave Pencil Company has manufactured pencils in Shelbyville, Tennessee since 1916. Family-owned by the Hulan family for 4-5 generations. Produces ~72 million pencils/year with ~90 employees. Shelbyville designated 'Pencil City, U.S.A.' by TN Governor Buford Ellington. One of the last American pencil manufacturers. Some raw materials (graphite, basswood) imported per industry standard; assembly and finishing entirely in Shelbyville. Tennessee Red premium line uses domestic Eastern Red Cedar.
Last verified: April 2026
Musgrave Pencil Company has been manufacturing products in Shelbyville, TN since 1916. We carry 10 verified American-made Musgrave Pencil Company products.
Heritage & History
Col. James Raford Musgrave founded the company in 1916 in Shelbyville, Tennessee, where abundant Eastern Red Cedar made the region a natural fit for the pencil trade. Initially Musgrave milled cedar slats and shipped them to German manufacturers. When World War I severed that trade, the Colonel traveled to Europe after the armistice, bartered his stockpile of cedar slats for pencil-making machinery, and hired a German machinist to set it all up in Shelbyville. By 1923 the factory was producing finished pencils.
By the late 1950s roughly half a dozen pencil factories operated in or near Shelbyville, and Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington formally designated the city 'Pencil City, U.S.A.' The 1990s brought severe competition from cheap Chinese imports that shuttered most domestic factories. Musgrave survived and emerged as one of only a handful of American pencil makers still in operation. In 2019 it became the first pencil manufacturer in nearly a century to produce pencils from Eastern Red Cedar — the Tennessee Red.
Made in Shelbyville, Tennessee
Every Musgrave pencil is manufactured at the Shelbyville factory, the same site the company has occupied since its founding. The company produces roughly 72 million pencils a year across its school, office, custom, and premium lines with a workforce of approximately 90 people.
Musgrave is still owned and operated by the Hulan family, descendants of the founder, now in its fourth and fifth generation of family leadership. That continuity of ownership is reflected in the factory's community presence: generations of Shelbyville families have worked the same production lines.
Quick Picks
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Musgrave Pencil Company made in the USA?
Yes. Musgrave Pencil Company manufactures 10 verified products in Shelbyville, TN. Musgrave Pencil Company has been making pencils in Shelbyville, Tennessee since 1916, standing as one of the last American pencil manufacturers, producing roughly 72 million pencils a year.
Where is Musgrave Pencil Company manufactured?
Musgrave Pencil Company is headquartered in Shelbyville, TN. Manufacturing takes place in Shelbyville, TN.
What Musgrave Pencil Company products can I buy?
We carry 10 verified Musgrave Pencil Company products across Office & School. Every listing links directly to Amazon with verified American manufacturing.
When was Musgrave Pencil Company founded?
Musgrave Pencil Company was founded in 1916. Musgrave Pencil Company has been making pencils in Shelbyville, Tennessee since 1916, standing as one of the last American pencil manufacturers, producing roughly 72 million pencils a year.
Does Musgrave Pencil Company ship from Amazon?
Yes, all Musgrave Pencil Company products listed here are available on Amazon with free shipping for Prime members.