The History of the Grange in Philomath

The First Grange - Philomath #13

The first Grange organized in Philomath was Philomath Grange #13, and Eldridge Hartless was the first Master.

The number listed after a Grange signifies the order in which the Grange was organized in the State of Oregon, so this would have been the thirteenth Grange organized in the state.

Sadly, this Grange had a short lifespan and was declared dormant in 1892.

The Grange Reborn - Marys River #685

The Grange Hall by the River

Written by Katie Hoyt, lecturer, Marys River Grange

(Tune: The Wild Bird)

In the evening let us wander,
While the stars shine above,
To the Grange hall by the river,
Where we meet friends we love.
Then the Bakers and the Huffmans,
And the Seedenburgs, too,
Meet the Bennetts and the Botkins
With a glad, "How are you?"
By the river near the hillside,
In the Grange Hall you know,
Built by Patrons from the valley
And the nearby hamlet.
'Neath the old hall's heavy rafters
Gathers many a throng;
Happy hours are spent together
That we'll never forget.

(Katie Hoyt died in 1996 at the age of 107).

The Grange thrived, and was originally a meeting and social place for members, but over time, the Grange become a more central part of the community. The Benton County Fair began as a Grange Fair, and for many years after the county assumed control, the Grange continued to provide a dinner at the Fair. The Grange was also very involved with the Philomath Frolic, not only organizing and working on it, but participating in the parades, and sponsoring Princesses, including two who became Queen.

Eventually the Grange began renting the Hall, first to community groups, then community members. Dances, Dinners and Holiday celebrations were held at the Hall. It is common to meet someone today at a Grange event who recounts how their parents or grandparents met at a function held at the Grange. 

Community Service has always been a focus of the Grange, and Marys River Grange served as a polling place, led an effort to name and number local rural roads, helped found Pioneer Telephone Cooperative, invested decades in maintaining the Pleasant Valley Cemetery. 

By 1955 the Grange has built a Juvenile Hall (today, younger Grangers are called Juniors, so it is now the Junior Hall). And Grangers have continued to repair and improve the Grange Hall over the decades. 

By 2009, many of the members were elderly, and new members had not been recruited to keep the Grange going. The Grange voted to go dormant, but made a procedural error in doing so. Local farmer John Evelund, of Gathering Together Farm realized the tragedy of allowing the Grange to close, as his farm is on the other end of Grange Hall Road. He led a charge to recruit members and keep the Grange alive. 

The next few years were touch and go, but by 2015, the Grange was becoming more active, and working to restore the Hall after decades of neglect. Today, Marys River is one of the largest, most active Granges in Oregon, and has returned to its place as prominent member of rural life in the area near Philomath. 

CHARTER MEMBERS
“Progressive Grangers of Philomath and vicinity met in the assembly room of Philomath High School building, Wednesday, March 2, 1927 for purposes of organizing a Grange.” 
@ buried Pleasant Valley * buried Mt. Union

Morris Goodrich *
Ethel Goodrich *
J.A. Gray
Martha Gray
C.R. Huffman
Elma Huffman
Claude Huffman
George Johnson
Mrs. George Johnson
Lloyd Lee
H.A. Leipold *
Elma Leipold *
M.M. Porter
Cora Porter
Sydney J. Pratt *
Jennie Pratt
Fredd Robbins
Glena Robbins
Fred Robbins Jr.