A ‘Meer’ Molding of History
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Fred Brown
- Nov 3, 2025
- 4 min read
A number of years ago, I was fortunate to be able to visit historic Fort Monroe in Hampton, Va. The famous military stronghold in later years became a museum and a national monument. It was notable for its place in history at the end of the Civil War for the incarceration of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy. Much later in a pipe shop in Atlanta, Ga., I came across a remarkably close replica of the Davis pipe. Mine is now quite nicely colored with age, which reminds me not of nostalgia for the man, but of the unexpected ways history is often embedded in objects we encounter.
In my tour of the fort that day, I was drawn like a magnet to metal to a glass display featuring the meerschaum pipe Davis smoked during his incarceration. As a longtime admirer and collector of meerschaum pipes, I was enthralled by the fact that Davis smoked a meer, and the stunning beauty of that pipe.
Meerschaum is mined from a rare mineral located in deep underground Turkey. Meerschaum is molded from mounds of seashells pressed for eons in deep mines once on a sea floor. It is porous, light and produces a gentle, cool, and dry smoke.
Meers are also prized for their artistic aspects. When the meerschaum is first brought up from deep mines in Turkey, the material is soft and can be carved. Skilled artisans carve a wide variety of shapes, from mythological scenes and realistic figures to intricate patterns and abstract designs. Each pipe is a work of art.
These unique shapes become highly prized in a collection, such as Pundit has worked toward for years, reflecting both my passion for pipe artistry and my interest in the way such objects serve as vessels of personal and historical stories. I fell in love with meerschaums the first time I saw them on display in that Atlanta pipe shop. I just had to have one and have been hooked since. My meer collection is a large part of my present pipe herd.
Thus, the Davis replica.
However, my love of history extends beyond artifacts. I have been fortunate to interview Shelby Foote, the renowned Civil War historian and author, several times. Foote, himself a dedicated pipe smoker who blended his own tobaccos, often spoke about how pipes were an integral part of his writing routine. His insights remind me that objects like pipes can serve as quiet witnesses to history—connecting us to the past, while also inviting us to reflect on its complexities.
Research has turned up several notable meer pipe enthusiasts, including poet Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Dunhill, known for manufacturing the majestic Dunhill pipes—of which Pundit has snagged a few—and Albert Einstein, whose image also appears on meers.
A couple of reasons why meerschaum pipes are quite popular now is craftsmanship and cool smoking properties are highly appealing. And the more a meer is smoked, it develops a patina that darkens the pipe. The creation of a beautifully smoked meer is a kind of personal history of the pipe smoker’s preferences.
As a point of pride, Turkey’s government halted the export of freshly mined meerschaum in the 1970s, according to online reports, to safeguard its national carving commerce. This also ensured training new pipe makers with crafting skills for carving meers remained strong.
Now for some notable quotes from Pipe Smokers of the Past:
Walter Cronkite was born Nov. 4, 1916, in St. Joseph, Mo., and died July 17, 2009, in New York City. “Uncle Walter” was the top broadcast journalist for CBS for 19 years.
He smoked a Wilke pipe and Wilke’s Mixture 72, according to research on his pipe and tobacco preferences. And that’s the way it is.
I can’t imagine a person becoming a success who doesn’t give this game of life everything he’s got—Walter Cronkite
Archibald Alec Leach (aka Cary Grant) was born Jan. 18, 1904, and died Nov. 29, 1986.
Grant, the famous American film star, was born in Bristol, England, before his movie acting days in the U.S.
He notably smoked pipes and pipe tobacco especially blended for him by Kramer’s Pipe Shop in Beverly Hills, Calif. The blend was the “Blend for Cary Grant.” It was a mild English aromatic mixture of Virginia, Latakia, Orientals, Black Cavendish, and a light Irish Mist for flavoring, according to his printed history.
Destiny is not necessarily what we get out of life, but rather, what we give—Cary Grant
And a Parting Thought: Many days we worry about small things in life, but our pipes and tobacco invite us to reflect, keeping us rooted in the occurrences that really matter.
Written by Fred Brown
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