Help honor the “Thinking Man”—restoring the final resting place of Charles Peterson, the inventor who revolutionized pipe smoking.

In 1874, a young Latvian woodturner entered the employment of Frederick Kapp at his shop in Dublin, Ireland. 152 years later, men and women in 105 of the 107 countries of the world appreciate the craftsmanship and smoking qualities of his celebrated Patent System smoking pipe. Charles Peterson (1852–1919) was a man with a deep genius and a big heart who revolutionized the tobacco pipe and has brought enjoyment to millions through Kapp & Peterson , the company he co-founded.

His design has been in continuous production and remained virtually unchanged since 1890, always manufactured in Dublin by dedicated craftsmen and women who often reach fifty or more years of service in work they describe as “a job for life.”

By 1895, Peterson’s pipes began to reach world audiences, and among the many famous people who have enjoyed them number Mark Twain, Jacque Cousteau, Basil Rathbone, Albert Einstein, Greta Garbo, Richard Donat, Karl Barth, Luciano Lama, Paul McCartney, Tom Crean and Richard Leakey. His pipes have even been celebrated in the work of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett.

What makes them so unique is Peterson’s “P-Lip” button, the graduated bore airway, and the reservoir, all of which create a cool, dry smoking experience. Instantly recognizable with their precious metal army mounts, even non-smokers often know a Peterson when they see one.

In 1919, not long after the cessation of the Great War (WWI), Peterson traveled to Hamburg on a routine business trip. There he fell ill and after a short illness passed away. While he was buried in the town’s famous Ohlsdorf Cemetery , his grave has remained unmarked.

Please consider donating to help us restore his final resting place and erect a monument over his grave in the beautiful Pearl Ponds section of the cemetery. The entirety of your donation, minus transaction fees, will go toward this effort. For more information and a PDF of our budget, visit Peterson Pipe Notes and go to Post #525.