Corn cob pipes are often associated with characters of the past, like Mark Twain or Popeye the Sailor. However, these traditional American pipes are still being produced and sold today. This Midwestern commodity was born out of circumstance in 1869 when a Missouri farmer whittled a smoking pipe out of a dried out corn cob. Henry Tibbe, a woodworker from Washington, MO, was commissioned to make a few more corn cob pipes. The pipes sold so well that Tibbe left woodworking behind and started producing the pipes full-time. In 1907 the company was re-named the Missouri Meerschaum Company and they’re still going strong today!
Sitting on the banks of the Missouri River, in Washington, is the Missouri Meerschaum Company. The produce hundreds of pipes a year and sell three different collections of corn cob pipes.
Missouri Meerschaum Company/Facebook
Corn cob pipes truly are made from corn! Missouri Meerschaum owns 150 acres of Missouri farmland where their corn is grown and harvested each year. The production of the pipes greatly depends on the quality of each year’s harvest.
Missouri Meerschaum Company/Facebook
After being harvested, the cobs are brought to the factory to be stored. They remain in storage, on the second floor, for two years. After hardening, the cobs can then become pipes.
Missouri Meerschaum Company/Facebook
During production the cobs are hollowed out into a bowl. Then the cobs are coated, by hand, with Plaster of Paris.
Missouri Meerschaum Company Website
Once the cobs have dried, they are hand sanded. Certain styles of pipes are also coated with a lacquer for a high shine finish.
Missouri Meerschaum Company/Facebook
Each pipe is checked for quality before being sent off to packaging. Final touches are made and the pipes are ready to be sold.
Missouri Meerschaum Company/Facebook
You can purchase their pipes online through their website and on amazon. They also visit many craft fairs and pipe expos.
Missouri Meerschaum Company/Facebook
Although the factory is no longer open to the public for tours, they are hosting some haunted tours during the month of October.
Missouri Meerschaum Company/Facebook If you’re interested in the haunted tours, visit their website to purchase tickets. You can find their website and more information here.
Wondering just how much corn it takes to make a corn cob pipe? Check out the video below to see what last year’s harvest was like for the Missouri Meerschaum Company!
Missouri Meerschaum Company/Facebook
Missouri Meerschaum Company Website
If you’re interested in the haunted tours, visit their website to purchase tickets. You can find their website and more information here.
Have you been to the Missouri Meerschaum Company? Did you even know corn cob pipes were still being made? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
The Harvesting processes behind our Genuine, American Made, Corn Cob Pipes.
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