Crane Museum offers glimpse into history

Large “dandy rolls,” which were once used to impress designs on Crane’s paper, are also on display in the museum.

Unusual paper items

In one display case, visitors can catch a glimpse of various unusual paper products Crane has made throughout its history, from Victorian letter boxes that appear to be metal to bullet patches from the 1870s to paper collars made for the Metropolitan Collar Company in Troy, N.Y.

Crane’s paper has also been used to make, of all things, boats.

Significant stationery

Crane began producing stationery in the mid-1800s. Multiple cases in the museum show examples of the notable figures that used Crane stationery throughout the last 150 years.

All on Crane’s signature cotton paper, everything from the Roosevelts’ 1942 Christmas card to an invitation to a celebration of the Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series win can be seen.

Also on display is a card from Jacqueline Kennedy thanking well-wishers for their condolences on the death of President John F. Kennedy.

The use of Crane’s paper is not limited to the U.S.

Of course there are invitations to notable American events like the opening of the George Washington Bridge and an early screening of Gone with the Wind, but the museum also proudly displays an invitation to England’s Queen Mother’s 100th birthday celebration.

Money-makers

In addition to its stationery, Crane is probably best known for printing money, or currency paper, since 1879.

During The Beacon’s trip to the museum, Peter Hopkins, Crane’s historian, discussed some of the technology behind the new $100 bill.

“[The government] wanted us to find technology that counterfeiters can’t counterfeit,” he said.

Crane, through the use of tiny lenses, has made the new money less susceptible by putting motion micro-optics on the new $100 bill.

Historical building

The museum building itself is part of Crane’s history too.

“It’s all that’s left of the old stone mill,” Mr. Hopkins said. “The museum used to be the rag room.”

Crane’s old stone mill was built in 1844, and what is now the museum was established in 1929.

Revolutionary family

Artifacts of importance to the Crane family also fill the museum’s walls. Before Zenas Crane opened his business in Dalton in the early 1800s, his father, Stephen Crane, ran the Liberty Paper Mill just outside of Boston in 1770, making the family a small but significant part of the American Revolution.

The Crane Museum has on display a ledger showcasing a paper order from legendary revolutionary Paul Revere.

In addition to the ledger itself, close-up images of Revere’s entry and entries from other notable historical figures are on display in a back room of the museum.