Big City Getaway - Crane Museum of Papermaking

THE BUCK STARTS HERE:THE CRANE MUSEUM OF PAPERMAKING words + images: Dan Bisbee

Riding through Dalton Massachusetts, it looks like many other New England mill towns with a tree-lined Main Street and fine Victorian architecture. At the bottom of the hill, 19 th century brick mill buildings string along the river. In most towns, these old buildings have been repurposed, abandoned, or torn down. Here in Dalton though, they have been making the same product they were designed for: paper. But not just any paper, this may be the most valuable paper in the world. These mills make the paper on which US currency is printed. Look at a ten-dollar bill and you’ll see a bunch of colored threads in the paper. Hold it up to the light and you can see a watermark of Alexander Hamilton to the right. There’s also a narrow stripe that says “USA TEN”. Hold an ultraviolet light behind the stripe and it glows orange – a twenty glows green. Other security features are built into the paper as well, some requiring specialized equipment to detect. All that gets its start here in Dalton where they’ve been making currency paper since the Bureau of Engraving was formed, and paper in general since 1801.

When you’ve been in business for over 200 years, you have a pretty interesting history and some of that history is on display at the Crane Museum of Papermaking. While most of one of the early mills burned in 1870, the one surviving section was reimagined as the Crane Museum of Papermaking in 1930, making it one of the oldest corporate museums in the country. Stephen Crane was the first one of the Crane family to make paper,

starting in 1769 at the Liberty Paper mill in Milton, Massachusetts. In 1777, a young engraver came to Crane for high-quality paper for his “soldier notes” used to pay soldiers in the Revolutionary war. The engraver’s name? Paul Revere. In 1801 Stephen’s son Zenas Crane began searching for a place to start his own paper mill. He chose Dalton for its abundant water to make the paper, and the vertical drop in the river to provide power. The lack of competition may have been a factor as well. Through the years, many types of paper have been made here, including wadding for muskets, paper shirt collars, cigarette paper and Bible paper. Crane was also known for its fine writing paper and produced stationery into the 21 st century. Today though, Crane’s focus is on currency and government documents. The US Bureau of Engraving and Printing was formed in 1862 and, in 1879, became the sole producer of US Currency. Needing a high-quality paper on which to print their national currency, the US Treasury put the contract out for bid and Crane won the contract with a bid of 38 9/10 cents per pound. The contract has been awarded to the Dalton facility ever since. Upon entering the museum, one is greeted by a scale model of the original paper making process. The first step begins with torn up rags

– Crane’s paper has always been cotton based. The torn-up rags are refined in a chest with hot water and some other materials. The refined slurry is dumped onto a wooden-framed screen where the excess water drains through. Shaking the screen produces an even thickness. Once enough water has drained and the sheet is dry enough to handle, it is removed from the screen and stacked. The stack is then placed in a hand press to squeeze out more water. The individual sheets are then “lofted”

over racks in the mill’s attic for final drying. Around in back is a scale model of one of Crane’s contemporary paper machines. The basic steps are the same: refine, pour, shake, drain, press, and dry. The entire process is automated these days and the paper machines are the length of a football field. The paper is processed further and inspected before heading to the Bureau of Engraving.

Another display in the museum is a six-foot $100 bill with many of the security features highlighted. The red and blue fibers, watermarks, 3-D Security Ribbon and security thread are all done here. The color-shifting ink, microprinting and machine-readable numbers are added at the Bureau of Engraving. Trivia Question: who was the first Treasurer of the United States? Does the name Michael Hilligas mean anything? He was Treasurer from 1775 to 1779 before Alexander Hamilton was sworn in as the Secretary of the Treasury. I learned that from a 1907 ten-dollar bill with Hilligas’ picture on it - Hamilton didn’t show up on the ten-dollar bill until 1928.

Along another wall in the museum are samples of foreign currency made by Crane. While the Dalton facility makes all the US currency, other Crane locations around the world make currency paper for more than 50 countries. The displays in the museum are fascinating enough, but listening to the curators and docents explaining the history really makes the visit worthwhile.

Before leaving, I am given the opportunity to make my own paper. The slurry has been made for me but I pour it, shake it, drain it and squeeze it. The process is oddly satisfying. Another activity involves paint and shaving cream to decorate my paper. On my way out I pick up some out-of-print Crane Stationery with a gold motorcycle embossed on it. Before leaving town, it’s time for lunch. It’s good to support local businesses and I settle in at the counter at the Dalton Restaurant for the Shepard’s Pie. It’s delicious and, when the check comes, I decide to support another local business and pay with cash. Note: Due to added security measures, the Museum is closed to the public. There are plans to reopen it but please visit the website first , www.cranemuseum.com