Grange to Celebrate Centennial: Community Invited to Share Stories and Memorabilia

The historic Grange Hall in the hamlet of Whallonsburg, NY, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2015 with an entire “centennial year” of events.

At the core of the centennial year will be a summer exhibit featuring oral histories and memorabilia about the Grange and farming. Area farmers and residents are encouraged to be interviewed for the oral history project. Office manager Stephanie Beneng will be working with Essex town historian Shirley LaForest of Whallonsburg to gather memorabilia and prepare exhibits. “We’re hoping lots of people will come forward to share their stories,” says Beneng.

Those who have saved items or photographs from Grange dances, bingo nights, meetings, and other events are asked to loan their items for the exhibit by contacting the Grange at 963-4170 or by email at admin@thegrangehall.info.

Surrounding the summer exhibit will be a full year of events with a centennial theme. The year begins with a square dance on Jan. 31 with caller Gary Finney and fiddler Donnie Perkins of The Upstate New Yorkers. Throughout the spring and fall, the Grange will host lyceum lectures on the history of the area. The centennial year culminates in a “birthday party” on September 13, by which time the building will have had exterior renovations and painting, new outdoor historical displays, and landscaping.

Planning for the Centennial

Leading the planning process is the centennial committee, on which anyone in the community can serve. Committee member Laura Newmark became involved “because it has been a valuable place for me to reconnect with old friends and to make new ones. It is so wonderful the way everyone comes together, and I want to be part of that.”

Committee member John Bingham became a volunteer in the renovations of the building, remembering the fun he had as a child with his hometown Grange in Connecticut. He plans to stay involved. “Grange halls across this country are experiencing a revival, a 3-D, technicolor return to real civic engagement … I love volunteering, and seeing my neighbors, old and new, face to face, more and more of my days.”

The Civic Association aims to keep the Hall true to its heritage as a gathering space for rural communities, providing opportunities for entertainment, education, and economic support for farmers. “Grange halls have been doing this work for more than a century,” Ms. Beneng adds. “This celebration is not only about our past, but also about looking forward to our next one hundred years of building community.”

Original Whallonsburg Grange Charter

Take a look at the 1903 charter shared by the NYS State Grange, with the names of the founders of the Whallonsburg Grange chapter.

“We’re hoping to get a clearer photocopy, but I thought it might be fun to share this with everyone to help us decipher names. I can see Stafford and Eggleston surnames on it, maybe Fisher. It would be great to hear from people whose ancestors helped form the chapter.” ~Stephanie Beneng

Please take a look and try to identify the signatures on the document! Leave a comment with anything you figure out.

Whallonsburg Grange Charter 1903 (Click to enlarge)

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Local Historic Audio Recordings at SUNY Plattsburgh (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

About Whallonsburg Grange Hall

The Grange Hall is managed by the Whallonsburg Civic Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit through an agreement with the Town of Essex. The building is now one of the "destinations" in the region for films, music, theater, lectures and other community events. The certified commercial kitchen is available for food producers, canners, farms and community projects of all kinds. Visit www.thegrangehall.info for more information.