Fmr Carter's Ink Factory - Cambridge, MA - Iconic Factories on Waymarking.com

You might have some Carter's brand highlighters or stamp pads in your desk drawer, now made by Avery-Dennison. The name came from the Carter's Ink Company, based in Cambridge, MA, which Avery-Dennison acquired in 1975.

Along First Street/Land Boulevard, there is an off-white building currently used for industrial and commercial purposes. If you look at the top of the front of the building, under the modern sign for "Via-Cell", you will see engraved in the building the words, "The Carter's Ink Company." This building once was the factory for the world's largest producer of inks, which for a short time, also produced quality fountain pens.

The company started in 1858 by William Carter. It became a family business as brothers and cousins joined the operation over time. The business was destroyed in the great 1872 fire in Boston, but they were able to restart with the help of James P. Dinsmore, who bought an interest in it. The company thrived and, by 1884, it became the largest producer of inks in the world.

In 1909, the company outgrew its location in Boston and built the present building and moved in [making it 100 years old this year!]. The company continued to innovate with inks, glues, and related items. In the 1920s, it made fountain pens. Though they stopped production in the 1930s, these pens are still sought after by collectors. There was an electric sign on the building that was easy to see on the Charles River and made the building an area landmark.

In 1975, the Dennison Manufacturing Company, based in Framingham, MA, now Avery-Dennison, acquired Carter's Ink. The name is now a brand name on such products as "Neat-flo inker bottles, permanent markers, stamp pads, and highlighters.


Sources:

Wapedia.com (Carter's Ink):

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Avery-Dennison Web Site (Product with Carter's Brand):

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Product manufactured here: Inks, pens Address: 245 First Street Cambridge, MA United States 02142 Web Page: [Web Link]

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