Background information about the Grange organization and a brief history of the National Grange is shown here.  

For details about the fascinating story of the Grange in Pennsylvania, click on the History Committee pages: http://www.pagrange.org/history-committee.html.  

These pages include electronic images of all existing State Grange records which have been permanently preserved and made accessible to the public on this website for historical research purposes. 

The Grange Story

On December 4, 1867, in a small Washington D.C. office building, the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry was born. Here, sitting around a plain wooden table, a small group of seven earnest men, planned what was destined to become a vital force in preserving and expanding American democracy. They were all men of vision – they had faith in God, in their fellow man and in the future.

​The seven founders of the Grange were Oliver H. Kelley, William Saunders, Aaron B. Grosh, John R. Thompson, Francis M. McDowell, William Ireland and John Trimble. They were assisted by Caroline Hall, a niece of Kelley.

Oliver Hudson Kelley is regarded as the father of the Grange. In 1866, serving as a staff member of the Department of Agriculture, he was sent to make a survey of the farm conditions of the South following the Civil War. During this time, Kelley conceived the idea that a fraternal organization, composed of farmers from all section of the country, would help heal scars caused by the war, as well as improve the economic and social position of the farm population.

Upon his return to Washington, Kelley communicated his ideas to some of his friends in government service, and enlisted their support. They framed an organization based on seven degrees and a constitution. Caroline Hall was the first to suggest that women be admitted to membership on a basis of equality with men.

In 1873 the Grange movement took root in Pennsylvania and on September 18th 1873 in Reading PA a meeting was held to organize the Pennsylvania State Grange. At the time there were 25 local Granges in PA.   As of 2022, there are approximately 170 local Granges with nearly, 5,700 members serving the communities of the Commonwealth.

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Past State Masters/Presidents

David B. Mauger*           1873-1876
Victor E. Piollet *             1876-1880
Leonard Rhone*             1880-1898
W.F. Hill*                          1898-1908
William T. Creasy*          1908-1914
John A. McSparran*       1914-1924
Philip H. Dewey*            1924-1927
E.B. Dorsett*                   1927-1932
J.A. Boak*                         1932-1938
Kenzie S. Bagshaw*       1938-1944
Sharp Fullerton*             1944-1950
Beatty H. Dimit*             1950-1956
J. Collins McSparran*     1956-1962
John Scott*                      1962-1968
A. Wayne Readinger*    1968-1974
J. Luther Snyder*            1974-1979
Robert E. Steese*           1979-1979
Charles E. Wismer*        1979-1988
William H. Ringler*         1988-1992
Gordon Hiller*                1992-1996
William A. Steel               1996-2002
Betsy E. Huber                2002-2010
Carl H. Meiss                   2010-2014
Elizabeth A. Downey      2014-2017
Wayne D. Campbell       2017-2022
Matthew Espenshade   2022-
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* = deceased