Is Musgrave Pencil Company Made in USA?
Last verified: March 2026 · Based on 6 verified products and public manufacturing evidence
Yes — Made in USA
Musgrave Pencil Company manufactures its products in the United States — specifically in Shelbyville, TN. Our verification team confirmed this through public manufacturing claims, factory records, and product listings.
Verification Confidence
Average confidence score across 6 verified products — scores ≥70% are shown on this site.
Manufacturing Details
- Made in
- Shelbyville, TN
- Headquarters
- Shelbyville, TN
- Location detail
- Specific city confirmed
- History
- Long-established (50+ years)
- Founded
- 1916
Verification Evidence
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.
About Musgrave Pencil Company
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.
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.
American-Made Musgrave Pencil Company Products
USA Verified
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Musgrave Pencil Company made in the USA?
Yes. Musgrave Pencil Company is made in the United States, manufactured in Shelbyville, TN. 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.
Where is Musgrave Pencil Company manufactured?
Musgrave Pencil Company manufactures its products in Shelbyville, TN. The company is headquartered in Shelbyville, TN.
Which Musgrave Pencil Company products are made in the USA?
We carry 6 verified American-made Musgrave Pencil Company products across Office & School. Every listing is linked directly to Amazon with verified manufacturing evidence.