Collections

Correspondence, documents, and financial records relating almost entirely to the last ten years of Cora Crane's life, dealing largely with the operation of her brothel, The Court, and touching on her last marriage to Hammond P. McNeil and to her work on the invention of a new army canteen. Much of the collection consists of bills, receipts, insurance policies, cancelled checks, and other fairly routine financial papers. Also, a Harold Frederic manuscript and the last known signature of Stephen Crane.

Letters addressed to the Cranes from various members of the Crane and Howorth families, and from prominent literary figures such as Joseph Conrad, Henry James, H.G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Hamlin Garland, Elbert Hubbard, and Rider Haggard. A number of these letters relate to Cora Crane's activities after Stephen Crane's death, but the majority have to do with life at Brede Place in Sussex. Also present are a number of holograph manuscripts of Stephen Crane's literary works and manuscripts and typescripts of other material which he dictated. There is a group of stories and articles by Cora Crane, some pictures, photographs, art, and memorabilia. Also, seventy-four books from Crane's library, many of them signed.