Crane history at a glance

DALTON – What do Paul Revere, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and Queen Elizabeth have in common?

They are among millions – from the eminent to the ordinary, from heads of state to heads of households, from European monarchs to Hollywood royalty – who have relied on papers made by Crane and Co. to help shape their piece of history.

At Crane and Co., we’re very proud that so many important events in history have been announced and recorded on Crane paper, and we save them for posterity in our museum. Because cotton paper stands the test of time, their history will survive for generations.

Crane and Co. is now in its seventh generation, with its roots extending before the American Revolution.

In 1770, two years after the occupation of Boston and only eight miles away, Thomas Crane took over Massachusetts’ first paper mill, renaming it The Liberty Paper Mill. Thomas and dozens of members of his family helped shape the momentum of the Revolution by their military, and by making paper used for newspapers and broadsides, paper for cannon and musket cartridges, and even making the powder they would contain.

Following the death of cousin Stephen Crane, during service in the Revolutionary Army, his eldest son, Stephen, and later his younger son, Zenas, helped operate the family paper business.

In the 1790s, young Zenas headed west to Worcester, Mass., to work in a paper mill owned by his family’s long-time friend Isaiah Thomas, publisher of the Massachusetts Spy newspaper. In 1799, when Thomas sold the mill, Zenas struck out to look for a suitable location for his own mill.

He found the perfect spot on the banks of the Housatonic River in Dalton, Mass.

It was a modest mill, but was recognized early on as producing papers of the finest quality. As early as 1806, banks began printing currency on Zenas Crane’s papers. This was quickly followed by government proclamations, permanent public records and stocks and bonds.

In the mid-1800s, Zenas Crane’s sons began making fine 100 percent cotton social stationery papers that had become the fashion in Europe. They were immediately successful, and it wasn’t long before Crane stationery was carried in all the finest shops across the country.

At about the same time, it was discovered that pulp from trees could be turned into paper cheaply and efficiently. Crane and Co. steadfastly clung to the best raw material to make the best paper – cotton – a rich tradition it continues to embrace in its third century of papermaking.

In 1879, Crane won its first contract to produce the paper for United States currency. Through its tradition of innovation and dedication to quality and integrity, Crane and Co. has continued to win the award of that coveted contract for more than 130 years, a great source of pride to the company, its employees and its community.

Today, the company continues to be owned and managed by members of the Crane family. The Crane watermark has been a widely-recognized mark of quality over the past two centuries, symbolizing the pride and personal touch of the papermaker and providing visible evidence of uncompromising quality for the purchaser.

Crane and Co. is embarking on its third century as the United States’ premier maker of fine stationery and distinctive papers for United States currency and international banknotes, proudly adhering to its American values that helped form this nation.

Editor’s Note: This column was written by Crane historian Peter Hopkins.

Posted by Staff Reports on September 6, 2012. Filed under Community News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry