Gift of the Grangers - Postcard

Agrarian small town America was based on the family farm joined in communal associations such as the Grangers, who still survive to share their antiquated ethical behaviour with the modern world. The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, also simply styled the Grange, is a fraternal organisation for American farmers that encourages farm families to band together for their common economic and political well-being. Founded in 1867 after the Civil War, it is the oldest surviving agricultural organisation in America, though now much diminished from the over one million members it had in its peak in the 1890s through the 1950s. In addition to serving as a centre for many farming communities, the Grange was an effective advocacy group for farmers and their agendas, including fighting railroad monopolies and advocating rural mail deliveries. Indeed, the word "grange" itself comes from a Latin word for grain, and is related to a "granary" or generically, a farm. In 2005, the Grange had a membership of 300,000, with organisations in 3,600 communities in 37 states. Its headquarters are in a building in Washington, D.C., built by the organisation in 1960. Many rural communities in the United States still have a "Grange Hall".