What do Paul Revere, Eleanor Roosevelt and the Queen Mum have in common?
• Paul Revere engraved banknotes for the Colony of Massachusetts Bay on Crane paper to help finance the American Revolution.
• Franklin and Eleanor conducted the affairs of a nation on Crane paper.
• The Queen Mum announced the celebration of her 100th birthday on Crane paper.
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 the fine 100 percent cotton stationery made by Crane & Co. to help shape their place in history.
We know these things for two very good reasons
At Crane & 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. Secondly, cotton paper stands the test of time, ensuring that history will survive for generations to come.
Crane & Co. is now in its seventh generation, with its roots extended to before the American Revolution. From these early times to the present, our reputation for quality, innovation and integrity is unmatched.
In 1770 Stephen Crane took over Massachusetts’ first paper mill
Stephen and his two partners reopened this mill just two years after the occupation of Boston by the British and just five miles away. In a bold statement of their political leanings, they named their business The Liberty Paper Mill. Stephen, his family and his customers helped shape the momentum of the Revolution by exercising their fiery patriotism at the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and throughout the war for independence. Papers made by Stephen Crane were used to print patriotic newspapers and broadsides leading up to and during the war, and were even engraved for Colonial Currency by Paul Revere. Revere even pastured his horses at the Liberty Paper Mill, just in case he needed to make a midnight ride…
Following Stephen’s death during his service with the Continental Army, his eldest son Stephen, and later the younger Zenas, helped operate the family paper business. In the 1790s, Stephen and Zenas headed west to Worcester, Massachusetts to build and work in a paper mill for one of their father’s customers and fellow patriot – Isaiah Thomas – the publisher of the Massachusetts Spy newspaper.
In 1799, when Thomas sold the mill to the Burbank family, 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, Massachusetts. Two years later, after obtaining sufficient capital, he established the first mill west of the Connecticut River. It was a modest mill, but was recognized early on as producing papers of the finest quality. As early as 1806, local and regional banks began printing currency on Zenas Crane’s fine cotton papers. This was quickly followed by official government proclamations, permanent public records and stocks and bonds.
Crane Paper becomes the Fashion of Europe
In the mid-1800s, with the advent of the envelope and postage stamp, 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. As most others in the paper industry rushed to embrace this new source of pulp, Crane & 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 & 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.
A Legacy Continued
The company continues to be owned and managed by members of the Crane family. Now in its third century, Crane & Co. continues to pay homage to the tenacity, pride and spirit of its patriotic founders.