Grange Hall in Donaldson, South Carolina Courtesy of Library of Congress
Over the weekend I went for a rural drive with my wife. In Sudbury, Massachusetts we passed a large hall with a sign that read Grangeover the front barn like door. The term come up while doing research using WPA sources in the archives of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Here what archive website said on the topic, officially referred to as The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, the Grange is a US fraternal organization that encourages families to unite and “promote the economic and political well-being of the community and agriculture.” Apparently they have existed across the country dating back to before the start of the US Civil War. The WPA writings on Grange halls I found described food events in them here in New England where I live. that peaked my interest in doing a series of stories on Grange movements through the lens of food which starts today.
