Stephentown Historical Society Program On The US Currency Paper Mill

Peter Hopkins will give an illustrated talk, “Exploring the Colonial Roots of Crane & Co. – Intersections with American History,” at the Stephentown Historical Society meeting on Monday, June 4, at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be at the Stephentown Heritage Center on Garfield Road, Stephentown. It is free and open to the public. The building is handicapped accessible.  For directions or information, phone 518-733-5675.
Stephen Crane, the first Crane family member involved in papermaking, opened The Liberty Paper Mill in Milton, MA, with partner Daniel Vose in 1770.  The mill manufactured papers used to print Colonial Currency and patriotic newspapers and broadsides leading up to and during the war. The connections between The Liberty Paper Mill and their customers, many of whom played significant roles in revolutionary America, are revealed in the pages of a rare ledger book, the only one of nine ledgers to survive from the mill. In 1801 Crane’s younger son, Zenas Crane, established the first paper mill of Crane & Co. on the banks of the Housatonic River in Dalton, MA.
Peter Hopkins lives in Pownal, VT, and has served as a consultant to Crane & Co. for almost 25 years in the areas of marketing and public relations. He currently directs their media relations program and serves as historian and keeper of the archives.