Click on the postcard to purchase the pen
This refillable heritage pen is made from wood rescued from an old fire ladder used in Northeast Harbor, Maine, for many years. The ladder, once attached to a hook and ladder truck, was in service from the 1920's to the early 1970's. The truck was quite long for the narrow roads of Northeast Harbor, so the truck was well known for occasionally destroying fences and the town's only traffic signal as it responded to calls.
During WWII, while responding to a call, the truck struck and killed a bear! This was unfortunate for the bear, but during the war meat was rationed and the town distributed the meat to the most needy. The ladder truck was also used for parades, festivals, and to provide rides for many special events. Perhaps the fondest memory the people of Northeast Harbor have of the truck was on VJ Day. The truck, loaded with celebrating passengers went through the village blasting its horn and blowing its siren to celebrate the end of the war.
Unfortunately, the Great Harbor Museum was unable to continue with the storage of the fire ladder, so it was left outside. I was able to purchase the deteriorating ladder and use the hardwood from the rungs to make a limited edition of 140 pens. Each pen is engraved and numbered.
