My passion for making pictures and historic preservation has led me on a personal project that documents Grange Halls of New York State. I have been fascinated with Grange Halls since my first Chicken Barbecue at the Pierstown Grange in Otsego County, NY. My personal project is to create a historic record of New York State Grange Halls to provide the next generation a record of what they looked like in the 21st century.
Mention the words "Grange Hall" to anyone familiar with rural communities and chances are the first thing that comes to mind is food. Pancake breakfasts, or chicken-and-biscuit dinners, are a long-standing tradition with the Grange.
The word grange is derived from the Latin word granum, meaning grain, and is historically associated with the granges of England and Ireland—large farming estates. From the Grange’s inception, members would share a meal together before business of the evening was attended to, since after all, with food comes fellowship. In many cases, this gathering was the social event of the week, frequently taking place on Saturday evenings after chores had been completed.
Grange Halls are the social structure, and root of the american farm. The Grange became an important foundation of rural social life and sought to change legislative and political policies for the betterment of farmers and their families and communities. They are places worthy of celebration for their cultural representation. I want and need to continue to further explore, and scrutinize the Grange hall. Such observations tell us something about what we are, what we were, and what we are becoming.