Dirigo by Eugene M. Sherman c.1907

Dirigo (dyreegoh) compasses were first made in historic Lexington Mass around 1907 by boat builder and violin maker Eugene M. Sherman. Sherman was born in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1872 to a Downeast seafaring family. Dirigo is the Maine state motto and is translated from Latin as "I Lead". 

In 1911, Sherman relocated to the pacific northwest and opened a factory in Bellevue, Washington. Dirgo produced compasses, binnacles and other navigational instruments long after Sherman sold his stake in the company in 1944.

 

 

 

 

 

Researched & Compiled by Susan Donnelly