Granby Living Oct2019

GRANBY HISTORY
THIS MONTH IN
GRANBY HISTORY
By Ken Kuhl
The Grange, founded in 1867 after the Civil War, is the oldest American
agricultural advocacy group in the country. Its official name is the
National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry.
The Grange lobbied state legislatures and Congress for political goals,
such as the Granger Laws to lower railroad rates and rural free delivery
by the U.S. Post Office.
President Andrew Johnson commissioned Oliver Kelley to go to
Southern states and collect data to improve agricultural conditions in the
South, where poor farmers suffered from the Civil War and were typically
suspicious of Northerners like Kelley. Kelley soon discovered he was
able to overcome these regional differences because he was a Free Mason.
With Southern Masons as guides, he toured the war-torn South and
was appalled by its outdated farming practices. He saw the need for an
organization that would bring people from the North and South together,
and after many letters and consultations with the other founders, the
Grange was born.
The first Grange was founded in 1868 in Fredonia, N.Y., by seven men
and one woman. Agents organized local Granges, and membership in the
Grange increased dramatically from 1873 (200,000) to 1875 (858,050).
The organization was unusual in its day, because women and teens old
enough to draw a plow were encouraged to participate. The importance
of women was reinforced by requiring that four of the elected positions
could be held only by women.
The Grange borrowed some rituals and symbols from Freemasonry,
including secret meetings, oaths and special passwords, while also
copying ideas from Greek and Roman mythology and the Bible. Elected
officers open and close each meeting.
The Granger movement supported political efforts to regulate rates
charged by the railroads and grain warehouses, and claimed credit for the
Sharp Minds
Shine Brighter
Satisfy your love of learning in a community of
active, engaged seniors. At The McAuley, intellectual
curiosity is worth celebrating. With stimulating
on-site lectures and classes from Trinity College and
the University of Hartford, free courses next door at
the University of Saint Joseph, thought-provoking
book discussions, and access to cultural events across
West Hartford, there are plenty of ways to keep
learning while enjoying the lifestyle you deserve.
275 Steele Road, West Hartford
TheMcAuley.org • 860-920-6319
10 | OCTOBER 2019