Crane House and Museum
Encyclopedia
The Crane House is a federal-style
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...

 home located at 110 Orange Road in Montclair
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. The house has had a rich history and is listed on several State registries and the Federal historic registry.

History and ownership of the Crane House (1796 to date)

The Crane House was built by Israel Crane in 1796 on Old Road in Cranetown, which is now the southern part of the Township of Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...

. The house stayed in the Crane family until 1920, when it was purchased by the YWCA
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...

. The YWCA used the house for offices, dormitories and as a social center for African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 women and girls for 45 years. In 1965, the house faced the prospect of demolition. Local residents committed to its preservation organized and the house was moved from Old Road to 110 Orange Road, its current address. The Crane House is one of the few remaining federal mansions in northern New Jersey. It currently operates as the Crane House and Museum, which is open to the public. The Crane House and Museum neighbors two other buildings with historic significance: the Clark House, which houses the Albert Payson Terhune
Albert Payson Terhune
Albert Payson Terhune was an American author, dog breeder, and journalist. The public knows him best for his novels relating the adventures of his beloved collies and as a breeder of collies at his Sunnybank Kennels, the lines of which still exist in today's Rough Collies.-Biography:Albert Payson...

 library, and the Nathaniel Crane House, which houses a General Store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...

 collection, schoolroom, and gift shop. These buildings are also owned by the Montclair Historical Society
Montclair Historical Society
The Montclair Historical Society, located in Montclair, New Jersey consists of two historic sites.The Montclair Historical Society was founded in 1965 to save the Israel Crane House, a Federal Revival style home dating from 1796, which was moved from its original location, and is now the Crane...

.

Israel Crane and his commitment to commerce

Israel Crane (b. 1774) was a direct descendant of the Crane family, which founded Cranetown in 1694. He was an enterprising businessman, successful in several industries including cider, cotton and wool production. In 1801, he and a partner leased a site in Paterson, New Jersey for one for one of the first mills to use the power of the Passaic River
Passaic River
The Passaic River is a mature surface river, approximately 80 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey,...

. In 1806, Crane organized a group to build the Newark-Pompton Turnpike
Newark-Pompton Turnpike
The Newark-Pompton Turnpike , is a roadway in northern New Jersey that was originally a tolled turnpike. The roadway was first laid out in the mid-18th century and given its name in 1806...

, an industrial toll road of which he later became the sole owner. It was a direct route from Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

 to outlying areas, including Cranetown. Today, Bloomfield Avenue, which runs West from Newark through the Township of Montclair into Verona, New Jersey
Verona, New Jersey
Verona is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 13,332.In 2008, New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Verona #1 in Essex County and #3 in New Jersey as "Top Places to Live in New Jersey".-History:Verona and several...

, is part of the original Newark-Pompton Turnpike. Another section has evolved into Route 23, which extends to Port Jervis
Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis is a city on the Delaware River in western Orange County, New York, with a population of 8,860 at the 2000 census. The communities of Deerpark, Huguenot, Sparrowbush, and Greenville are adjacent to Port Jervis, and the towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the...

.

Historical listings

  • Historic American Buildings Survey (1935)
  • New Jersey Historic Sites Evaluation (1961)
  • New Jersey Register of Historic Places (1972)
  • National Register of Historic Places (1973)

Visiting the Crane House and Museum

The Crane House and Museum is open to the public for guided tours most Sundays (except in January and February) from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. School groups can visit the Crane House and Museum weekdays (with advance reservations) and can make use of the exhibition center and meeting space.

Exhibits at the Crane House and Museum

The Crane House has ten rooms, each containing 18th and 19th century furniture, paintings and decorative arts, including rugs, quilts, ceramics, glassware, silverware, toys, dolls and household items. Special items on display include a painted bedroom set owned by Paul Revere IV (1816), a harp made by Sebastian Erard (1827), and a William and Mary highboy (1740).

See also


External links

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