Grange was not a word I heard until I moved to Preble County in 1990. So then I knew the Grange as a building located near the Fairgrounds. I never thought much about it because when I asked Preble County people what it was, most people said it was just some old club. Funny, we ended up buying that building several years later.
But, on this date, December 4, 1867, a man named Oliver Kelley organized the Grange. Not our Grange. But the big overall worldwide Grange. More on that in a moment.
First, a little bit about the dude. Oliver Hudson Kelley grew up in Boston. He was born on January 7, 1826, but Kelley decided he wanted to become a farmer early in his life.
He learned about it and worked in farming. Then, in 1849, he booked passage on a steamboat to St. Paul, Minnesota. At that time, the Minnesota region was more about Indian trading than farming.
But that young farming-in-his-blood Kelley could see that the future of the region was definitely in agriculture. He gained local fame for experimenting with new crops. He also came up with these elaborate irrigation systems for his land. He had all sorts of ideas and innovations up his sleeves. A big thinker.
His “scientific farming” methods and a regular column he wrote for national newspapers gave him national recognition. Oliver Kelley shot right up the ladder, I’ll tell you. In 1864, he was given an excellent clerking position under the federal commissioner of agriculture in Washington, D.C.
It was at this point that his idea for the Grange came along. He was taking a tour of southern farms in 1866. You know, right after the Civil War ended. Kelley was struck by the warm reception he received from his fellow Masons in the South despite the recent national events.
He thought starting a national organization to unify farmers would be great. He gathered some of his farming friends and took them to Washington in 1867. And that group became the founders of the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, better known as the Grange.
The Grange started as a social organization. They were mostly about providing educational and recreational opportunities for farmers. But later, it evolved into a major political force. Farmers who gathered at local Grange Halls often voiced complaints about anything and everything. Things like the high rates the warehouses and railroads charged them to handle their grain. Or anything else.
So they started to use their organization more for political and economic issues. And. The Grange smartly recognized the importance of including women, who often proved to be the organization’s most dedicated members. The bottom line is the Grange shifted into an organization of political activism. All under Kelley’s watchful direction.
The organization is still active today. https://www.nationalgrange.org/
So there it is. Anyone can join their online site. Farmers, accountants, bus drivers. Blog writers.
I’m glad the world has organizations like the Grange. Establishments like these recognize the old adage, “Safety in numbers.” And power in numbers. These groups give a voice to individuals by bringing together many voices, so they can be heard more clearly.
And there are times in all our lives we certainly want and need, to be heard.
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The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So live as only you can. Share this Quote Neil Gaiman
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/voice-quotes
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Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind – even if your voice shakes. Share this Quote Maggie Kuhn
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/voice-quotes
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“If you believe in a cause, be willing to stand up for that cause with a million people or by yourself.”
― Otis S. Johnson,
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Home, home on the Grange.
