THE GRANGE CELEBRATES 150TH BIRTHDAY (1867-2017)
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) A clerk at the Department of Agriculture and a former farmer in Minnesota, Oliver Hudson Kelley, joined with six other men 150 years ago, December 4, 1867, to found the Farmers Masonry.
The organization was established to encourage farm families to band together for their common economic and political well-being. Co-founders of the group included William Saunders, Francis M. McDowell, John Trimble, Aaron B. Grosh, John R. Thompson and William M. Ireland.
The official name is the National Order of Patrons of Husbandry but more commonly it is called The Grange. Grange is Latin for grain.
The motto of the Grange is:
"In essentials, unity; In non-essentials, liberty; In all things, charity."
The group was influential in gaining passage of the "Granger Laws" which helped end abuse of farmers by railroad companies.
In 2005, the Grange had a membership of 300,000. Its headquarters are located in Washington, D.C. in a building built in 1960. The state of Washington has the largest # of members, at 40,000.
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) A clerk at the Department of Agriculture and a former farmer in Minnesota, Oliver Hudson Kelley, joined with six other men 150 years ago, December 4, 1867, to found the Farmers Masonry.
The organization was established to encourage farm families to band together for their common economic and political well-being. Co-founders of the group included William Saunders, Francis M. McDowell, John Trimble, Aaron B. Grosh, John R. Thompson and William M. Ireland.
The official name is the National Order of Patrons of Husbandry but more commonly it is called The Grange. Grange is Latin for grain.
The motto of the Grange is:
"In essentials, unity; In non-essentials, liberty; In all things, charity."
The group was influential in gaining passage of the "Granger Laws" which helped end abuse of farmers by railroad companies.
In 2005, the Grange had a membership of 300,000. Its headquarters are located in Washington, D.C. in a building built in 1960. The state of Washington has the largest # of members, at 40,000.
Oliver Hudson Kelley
