Crane Stationery

About Crane Stationery

The story of Crane Stationery begins long before the United States was even a country. In 1770, an entrepreneur named Stephen Crane established the Liberty Paper Mill. One of his first customers was none other than Paul Revere, who used Crane's paper to print the American Colonies' first paper money. This set the stage for the company's long-standing relationship with currency. In 1801, Stephen's son, Zenas Crane, formally established Crane & Co. in Dalton, Massachusetts. The company quickly became a primary producer of banknote paper for local banks and eventually, the U.S. government, thanks to innovative anti-counterfeiting methods. By the mid-1800s, the company expanded into the world of upscale social stationery, finding a passionate customer base in Europe and for high-end brands in New York. A pivotal moment in the company's recent history came in April 2018, when Mohawk Fine Papers, another family-owned paper company, acquired Crane Stationery. This move aimed to combine the strengths of two heritage brands. However, the stationery landscape continued to shift, and in early 2024, following Mohawk's own acquisition, the future of Crane was uncertain. In March 2024, the Albany-based investment firm WP Strategic Holdings acquired Crane Stationery, preserving the 200-plus-year-old brand and many of its jobs.