The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry—commonly known as the Grange—is America's oldest agricultural advocacy group, founded on December 4, 1867. Initially established to heal the nation after the Civil War and support struggling rural communities, it quickly grew into a massive economic and political force.
History
Following the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson sent Oliver Hudson Kelley, a federal clerk and former farmer, to survey the devastated agricultural infrastructure of the American South. Shocked by the destruction, Kelley concluded that political solutions would fail, and that healing required a national fraternity to unite Northern and Southern farmers as one family.
Founders
Kelley, along with six colleagues from the U.S. Bureau of Agriculture, designed a fraternal organization complete with secret handshakes, rituals, and seven degrees of progression.
- The Founders: Oliver H. Kelley, William Saunders, Aaron B. Grosh, William M. Ireland, John R. Thompson, Francis McDowell, and John Trimble.
- The Eighth Founder: Kelley's niece, Caroline A. Hall, successfully argued that the Grange would fail unless women were given full, equal rights and voting power. Because of her insight, the Grange became the first national organization to grant universal suffrage to women, 60 years before the 19th Amendment.
In thousands of communities across the country, local "Subordinate" Granges were established. For over a century, Grange halls served as libraries, polling stations, and town squares.
Fun Fact: The National Grange emblem is a seven-sided figure featuring a sheaf of wheat and the letters "P of H," which together symbolize the organization's history, structure, and agricultural roots.