December 4, 1867 – Founding of the Grange Lobbying Organization for Farmers

The Grange, founded on this day in history in Fredonia, New York, was formed as a political force to lobby on behalf of farmers at the state and federal level to promote the economic and political well-being of agriculture and its workers. The organization was unusual for the time in that it allowed women to be full members from the outset.

In 1873 the organization was united under a National Grange in Washington, D.C. Paid agents organized local Granges and membership in the Grange increased dramatically.

”I feed you all!” – modification of the Grange motto “I pay for all” – lithograph by American Oleograph Co., Milwaukee, ca. 1875. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Grange membership has declined considerably, however, as the percentage of American farmers has fallen from a third of the population in the early 20th century to less than two percent today. Between 1992 and 2007, the number of Grange members fell by 40%.

Nevertheless, in 2005, the Grange had a membership of 160,000, with organizations in 2,100 communities in 36 states. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., in a building built by the organization in 1960. Many rural communities in the United States still have a Grange Hall and local Granges still serve as a center of rural life for many farming communities.