Our History
Ten Mile Grange
​Originally charted as a Grange Hall in 1910, Ten Mile Grange has been continuously supporting rural community members for over 115 years.
​
Offering grand wooden floors, vaulted ceilings, a stage, and a ticket booth...the Ten Mile Grange Hall has been an active community hub and dance venue since the beginning. For over a century, farmers and neighbors have come from all around to listen to live music, socialize, learn, and eat together. Ten Mile Grange has been used for weddings, funerals, birthdays, anniversaries, plays, church services, square dancing, and more. Come see what we're up to today!
A Brief History of the
National Grange of The Order of Patrons of Husbandry
It's a mouthful, but what does it mean?
The Order of Patrons of Husbandry was founded in 1867 by Oliver H. Kelley, along with several friends and associates connected to the Department of Agriculture. Inspired by the struggles of farmers following the civil war, this new organization strove to create a protective cushion for independent producers and help bring the community together for the betterment of all. The organization quickly grew to almost 900,000 members by 1875 and local granges were popping up in every rural community. Whatcom County once boasted dozens of chapters. From the start, we have been open to anyone old enough to draw a plow (14); of any race, creed, religion, or gender. It has now become America's oldest agricultural advocacy group with a national scope.
What about the Grange part?
Meeting spaces for the Order of Patrons of Husbandry were give the title of Grange, as a reference to the small farm complexes seen all over Great Britain. The word "Grange" comes from the French and means a granary or more broadly, a farm. Like many other fraternal organizations of the day (Masons, Templars, Knights, etc), the organization included dramatizations, rituals, and ceremonies to provide structure. For the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, those rituals centered around that village-farm theme. Offices and roles within the organization were named after job titles, many of the symbols and decorations involve farming tools and crops, and the levels of achievement center around overcoming agricultural hardship. Eventually, reference to the Grange as a building became easier to say and is the most common term for the organization. Members are known as Grangers.
How does the Grange actually help farmers?
​As the Grange expanded, so did its resources. Grange Insurance was formed to insure crops, equipment, livestock, and property from market disasters, extreme weather, and other agriculturally specific threats. Grange Co-Ops were created to equalize wholesale prices for farmers across the country. The Grange famously lobbied for expansion of the electrical grid to rural areas that were not seen as financially worth the time. To this day, the Grange is pushing for expansion of high-speed internet to undeserved rural areas and access to more efficient technologies.