Cranesville Historic District

Cranesville is a 154-acre district on the western edge of Dalton, Massachusetts, beside the Pittsfield line and the East Branch of the Housatonic River. Main Street, South Street and Park Avenue form its framework. Two Crane & Co. paper mills, the Bay State Mill of 1877 and the Pioneer Mill of 1893, sit on sites tied to papermaking since the early 1800s, and both have been expanded over time. The Crane Museum, a National Historic Landmark housed in the 1844 Stone Mill rag room, lies within the boundary. Despite two centuries of industry, the area looks mainly residential. Crane family houses and estates, such as Sugar Hill and the Zenas Crane House, front Main Street with broad lawns. The family built or bought more than 100 houses for employees and rented them for generations, which kept the housing stock in very good condition. Styles range from Greek Revival to Colonial Revival, reflecting a company town shaped by one family.