Collection Title: Patrons of Husbandry Collection
Collection Number: Ms. Coll. 108
Box Numbers: 9 boxes, 139 folders
Repository: Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, PA
Language: English
Project Archivist: Barbara Anne Beaucar
On January 1, 1866, the United States Commissioner of Agriculture appointed Oliver H. Kelly as a special agent of the Department of Agriculture “to procure statistical and other information bearing on the agricultural resources of the South.” Kelly found the Civil War’s devastation to southern farms horrifying. As a result, he conceived of an organization of farmers. He said “that politicians would never restore peace in the country, and if it came at all, it must come through fraternity; the people of the North and South must know each other as a member of a great family, and all sectionalism abolished.”
Kelly’s niece, Caroline A. Hall of Boston, MA, suggested that women have full and equal rights of membership. That both sexes be admitted to the organization was one of the original membership standards. The organization limited membership to only those who cultivated the soil, permitted no discussion of religion or politics, and used secret signs and passwords. (In 1873, the Grange revoked Boston’s membership because it was believed to be composed of a class “commonly known as middlemen” including grain dealers and newspaper editors – people interested in farmers “the way a hawk is interested in a sparrow.”)
The name of the order became the Patrons of Husbandry. Its branches, called Granges, had seven degrees. The first four degrees, named for the seasons, comprise the sub-Granges. At the level of fifth degree, called Pomona (Hope), are the State Granges, at the sixth degree, Flora (Charity), is the National Grange, and, at the seventh degree, Ceres (Faith), is the Senate.
In support of farmers, the Patrons of Husbandry’s mission stood “for the protection of their interests, education and elevation of their class, and for restoring friendly feeling and unity of action between people of the North and South.” To spread this mission, Kelly traveled west to his native Minnesota, stopping first in Harrisburg, PA on April 3, 1868. However, Fredonia, NY holds claim to the first truly organized Grange on April 15, 1868. The Grange formed in Maple Plain, MN led to the first organized State Grange on February 23, 1869. The order grew from one Grange in 1868 to one hundred and thirty by 1871. In that same year, Honey Creek Grange in Indiana built the first Grange Hall. Farmers in Clinton, PA organized Eagle Grange No. 1, the first Grange in Pennsylvania.
By 1874, the thirteen hundred and sixty–two Granges in the United States adopted a constitution and by-laws. The formation of three Granges in Canada launched the beginning of the Dominion Grange in Canada. When the National Grange headquarters removed to Louisville, KY in 1976, it became incorporated under Kentucky State law. One of National Grange’s first achievements was to successfully lobby for a Secretary of Agriculture in the Cabinet. The Grange also influenced other laws such as the prevention of the renewal on the patents for sewing machines, the Inter-State Commerce Commission law, the anti-oleomargarine law concerning labeling (it was often sold as butter), the establishment of Experimental Stations, the Sherman Anti-Trust law of 1890, the law creating the Department of Commerce, the separation of agricultural schools from classical colleges, and most important, the rural free delivery of mail in 1894. The RFD meant that farmers could finally be connected to the world and in touch with markets and prices.
The Grange was not responsible for railroad legislation. Even though the anti-railroad movement was often called the “Granger Movement,” the Granges took no part in the anti-railroad agitation. “The two were not cause and effect, but a parallel effect of the same general causes.” Newspapers gave the Western farmers the name “Grangers” and consequently to those fighting the railroads. “It was an easy step to the assertion that the Grange was the fighting organization.”
CHESTER COUNTY GRANGES
The Chester County Granges in this collection date from 1873 beginning with the Schuylkill Grange No. 23 organized on September 15, 1873 and lasting only a decade. Brandywine Grange No. 60, organized on December 30, 1873, held their first meeting at the residence of Townsend Walter. They met in Odd Fellows Hall in West Chester until 1885 when they removed to a building on the Allerton Farm. Essays supporting the Grange’s mission and as well as other nineteenth-century issues such as woman suffrage were read at Grange meetings and printed in the West Chester Daily Local News. Topics of discussion ranged from education and economic depression to “chicken hawks” and mice. The Brandywine Grange also discussed the national issues, coming out against the improper labeling of oleomargarine and the local need for good roads and schools. On the lighter side, the Grange held dances at Memorial Hall in West Chester, celebrated “Corn Night,” and hosted speakers. During the years from 1883 and 1893, the Brandywine Grange almost disbanded but ground purchased in Sconnelltown provided a permanent home.
John J. Coates organized the Russellville Grange No. 91 on January 31, 1874 in the Villa Nova School north of Russellville along with twenty-five charter members. They met in a wheelwright’s shop and held fundraising activities such as “Pie Night,” “Sisters Night,” “Corn and Pie Night,” plays, and musical entertainment. The Grange removed to a small hall in the village dedicated in 1877 and now called Somerset Hall. This hall was sold to purchase the Russellville Grange Hall in 1916. Russellville Grange hosted fundraising activities well into the 1960s and supported legislation benefiting farmers. Oxford Grange No. 67 (and No. 1460), also organized in 1874 met in Gillingham’s barn at Lincoln University until in 1939 when the Academy Building on Locust Street was purchased from Mrs. Richard White. Goshen Grange No. 121, organized in 1874, held meetings in their Goshenville hall, a building constructed in 1849. Originally a Friend’s meetinghouse, it featured a distinctive honeycomb design in serpentine stone. The Goshen Grange began fundraising in 1886 to assist the Farmer’s Protective Association in their suits against selling oleomargarine. Their meetings consisted of recitations, refreshments, and discussions on topics such as the Milk Bill and good roads. In the early 1900s, the Goshen Grange raised funds for the WCTU and also participated in grave decoration. North Coventry Grange No. 2011, organized in 1874 claimed to be the largest Grange with sixty-one members.
Organized in 1875, Franklin Grange No. 141 held their meetings in a lodge room in Landenburg. The earliest record of London Grove Grange No. 63 dates from 1875 with the first minutes being recorded in 1879. The Grange met in the Allen Building until purchasing their hall from the Methodists in 1907. Earlier meetings of most of the Granges focused on their original mission of education and national issues such as suffrage and temperance but, in later years, devoted many of their events to fundraising.
In 1889, a notice declared that the Uwchlan Grange No. 53 held no meetings for two years because most of its members had “passed to the great Grange above.” A new Grange, No. 1298,replaced the old in 1905. They met in homes and in their Grange hall in Lionville, hosting oyster suppers, musical recitals, and festivals such as “Corn Night.” Uwchlan Grange also included lectures in their meetings and discussion topics such as “What is the best dress for housework and what color gives the best service?”
Highland Grange No. 980 organized on October 8, 1890 in the Fairview Schoolhouse with nineteen charter members (four of whom were women). They met in a room on A. H. Pott’s farm and produced more dramatic performances than any of the other Granges. In 1912, the Highland Dramatic Troupe performed “Dot, the Miner’s Daughter” followed by “Between Two Lives” in 1916, “Down in Maine” in 1917, “Civil Service” in 1920, and “All a Mistake” in 1922.
Sadsburyville Grange No. 1085, organized in May of 1893 with twenty-four charter members, first met at the home of Levi Grossman before moving to Odd Fellows Hall. In 1909, they purchased the hall and, from then on, the Odd Fellows rented it from the Grange. In 1895, they hosted a picnic in John Patrick’s woods which “1,000 tillers and families attended.’’ The discussion focused on the “silver question.”
Doe Run No. 1269, organized in 1898 met in “a little stone hall.” After the Doe Run Grange auctioned their hall in 1943 for $1,150, they met in the Grange Hall at Ercildoun. The Doe Run hall burned beyond repair in 1963.
The Foxcroft Grange No. 1220 met in a hall in Gallagherville on Old Lancaster Pike and the trolley line between Downingtown and Coatesville. They hosted musical entertainment at the Downingtown Opera House, feast and festivals such as “Corn Night,” oyster suppers, and discussions and lectures. In 1906, the Foxcroft Grange resolved the question that “immigration was beneficial to the farmer” and in 1913, discussions focused on organizing a farm bureau for Chester County, the need for good roads and public schools, and the role of America in war.
Another early twentieth-century Grange was the East Lynn Grange No. 1263, organized on March 22, 1904 with forty-one charter members. The meetings, held in Odd Fellows Hall in Unionville, included recitations, music, and tackled questions such as “Has the Golden Age of Agriculture passed?” Lectures such as “Agricultural Education for Farmers” focused on the Grange’s mission. In 1914, discussions focused on the pioneer work for woman suffrage in Wyoming in 1869, equal pay for teachers and other women workers as well as child protection laws and, in 1917, the American involvement in the war in Europe. The Grange bought an old meetinghouse near Unionville in 1949 and repaired it for a hall.
The Fernwood Grange No. 1329, organized in 1906, purchased land from John Ferron and, using a team of horses, moved the Fernwood School building onto it. Fernwood Grange debated educational issues – was an elementary education enough? and hosted parties, dances, plays, festivals, and annual picnics.
The Chester Valley Grange No. 1496,organized on Jan 3, 1912, met in Catanack Hall near Devault. It was first formed in 1911 and named after the Old Chester Valley Grange No. 77. Its first meeting room was a farm workshop but members and friends contributed their talents and built a Grange hall near Devault station. The corner stone was laid on February 7, 1914. They hosted suppers, discussions, and entertainment that benefited the community. Funds were raised for the Girl’s Dorm at State College, Grange Headquarters in Harrisburg, scholarships, the Chester County Hospital School of Nursing, Girl and Boy Scouts, Little League, and fire companies.
New London Grange No. 1326 met in Kemblesville Hall after their hall burned in 1947. Pomona Grange No. 3 donated a new building and planned several benefits to raise money. The new building was completed in 1948. New London Grange hosted lectures, picnics, corn festivals, and talent shows.
Sources: The CCHS clipping file and J. Wallace Darrow, Origin and Early History of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry in the United States, Chatham, NY, 1904.
This is an artificial collection compiled from records removed from the ephemera and township boxes in 2002. It contains early publications such as the History of the Grange by J. Wallace Darrow, The Granger magazine, and newspaper clippings which contain information about the national, state, regional, and local origins of the Patrons of Husbandry. The collection, comprised of a variety of materials from ticket stubs and event programs to hand written and published histories, includes manuals, the by-laws and constitution, a booklet of secret signs and passwords, directories, legal documents, and maps which provide information about the organization, its mission, leadership, and membership. Almost all of the series are Chester County Granges. Some, such as Foxcroft No.1220, contain only two cards while others, such as Fernwood No.1329, include minute books from 1906 – 1986, recording eighty years of the organization’s activities. Brandywine No.60, East Lynn No.1263, New London No.1326, Sadsbury No.1085, and Russellville No.91, include their histories. Others are rich in rural writing, essays, poems, and speeches. Goshen No.121 includes several copies of the “Grange Banner,” a collection of essays submitted by its members, and Willistown No. 114 contains two published songbooks of Grange favorites. The collection includes playbills, invitations, correspondence, financial records, schedules of yearly meetings, drawings, and programs surrounding many events such as fairs, picnics, and plays. The Pennsylvania State Grange series contains a program from the 1907 Annual Convention held in West Chester that includes photographs of borough buildings.
The collection arrangement begins with a general publications series followed by national, state, and county Grange series. The series of local Chester County Granges are arranged alphabetically by the name of the Grange. The folders within each series are arranged chronologically.
Series Title: Grange Publications
Dates: 1873 – 1967
Quantity: 4 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes a paper bound book entitled History of the Grange by J. Wallace Darrow originally published in 1904, four manuals for Subordinate Granges issued by the National Grange, a centennial edition of the magazine, Grange, and news clippings.
Box 1:
Folder 1. n.d., 1911 [1904].
A book originally published in 1904 describing the history of the Grange containing a photo-engraved portrait of Oliver H. Kelly and an appendix about the “Granger Movement” by Charles W. Pierson.
Folder 2. n.d., 1874, 1883, and 1926.
Four manuals describing the Grange floor plan, order of business for meetings in the fourth degree (Subordinate Granges), and ceremonies for initiates.
Folder 3. 1967.
A centennial copy of the magazine, Grange, that includes a timeline of accomplishments for the first century, an article about its founders, recent accomplishments, the Centennial Convention program, and crop and livestock forecasts.
Folder 4. 1873 –1877.
News clippings from the West Chester Daily Local News.
Series Title: National Grange
Dates: 1914 – 1939
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes a National Grange meeting agenda, news clipping of the national directory, two booklets containing the by-laws and constitution of the National Grange, and a program from the New York World’s Fair in 1939.
Folder 5. 1914 – 1939.
Contains an agenda stating the order of business for committees at the Forty-eighth Annual Session in Wilmington, DE, two booklets containing the Declaration of Purpose, By-laws and Constitution of the National Grange, and a program for Grange Day at the New York World’s Fair.
Series Title: Pennsylvania State Grange
Dates: 1889 – 1964
Quantity: 5 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes booklet describing State Grange’s purpose, a printed poem, a business circular, a newsletter, three programs from Annual Sessions, and five state officers registers.
Folder 6. n.d., 1889 – 1964.
A small booklet outlining the State Grange’s achievements and purposes, a poem entitled “A Memory of the Degree of Flora,” a confidential business circular, and a copy of the Grange News.
Folder 7. 1907.
A beautiful copy of the 1907 Annual Convention’s program held in West Chester, PA, which includes contemporary photos of borough buildings such as the courthouse and West Chester State Normal School.
Folder 8. 1909 – 1939
Five official registers of the State, Pomona, and Subordinate Grange officers.
Folder 9. 1916.
A program from the Forty-fourth Annual Session held at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.
Folder 10. 1950.
A program from the Seventy-eighth Annual Session held in York, PA.
Series Title: Pomona Grange No. 3 (Chester and Delaware Counties)
Dates: 1875 – 1957
Quantity: 20 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes a constitution and registers of officers, event programs, correspondence, essays and memorials, financial papers, membership information, programs, reports and resolutions, and miscellaneous papers.
Folder 11. Constitutions and Registers: n.d. 1877 – 1918
Contains two booklets of the constitution and by-laws, two registers, and a book of secret codes
Folder 12. Reports and Resolutions: 1878 – 1919
Resolutions tabled and adopted, ad hoc committees, committee reports, resolutions concerning oleomargarine, and water rights issues.
Folder 13. Reports and Resolutions: 1947 – 1950
List of officers, printed meeting agendas, hymns, list of committee chairs, and attendance records.
Folder 14. Reports and Resolutions: 1951 – 1955
Meeting agendas.
Folder 15. Finance: 1875 – 1877
Receipts, finance committee reports, and accounts.
Folder 16. Finance: 1878 – 1885
Receipts, committee reports, secretary’s report, an account book, and treasurer’s report
Folder 17. Finance: 1904 – 1922
Receipts stubs, invoices, accounts, and treasurer’s report.
Folder 18. Essays and Memorials: n.d. 1902
Essays about “Life” and “Education” and a memorial to George Ryffed Foulke.
Folder 19. Correspondence: 1909 – 1957
Letters pertaining to administrative and financial issues.
Folder 20. Programs: 1905 – 1912
Programs from meetings held at Memorial Hall in West Chester and at the Opera House in Downingtown, 1910 program devoted to women’s issues, and an invitation to Granger’s Day.
Box 2:
Folder 21. Programs: 1913 – 1921
Programs from meetings held at Memorial Hall in West Chester, at the Armory in Media, at the firehouse in Honey Brook, and at Lincoln University, and an invitation to a Grange dance.
Folder 22. Programs: 1922 – 1950
Programs for meetings held at the New Century Club, a menu, a programs containing hymns, a program decorated with painted paper leaves and gold cord, program for seventy-fifth Anniversary dinner and historical pageant at Philips Auditorium, and a Home Economics luncheon at the Yorktowne featuring a fashion show.
Folder 23. Annual Picnic: n.d. 1909 – 1919
Contains newspapers from Granger Days Annual Picnic and Sports at Lenape Park, scores kept of contests, clippings, and programs.
Folder 24. Corn Exhibit: n.d. 1910 – 1912
Songs, programs from the women’s displays, lists of prizes for corn exhibitors, and printed song sheets.
Folder 25. Membership: n.d.
Membership applications.
Folder 26. Membership: 1916 –1943
Membership cards.
Folder 27. Membership: n.d. 1920 – 1938
Membership certificates, a description of the Seventh Degree, and two Silver Star awards for twenty-five year members.
Folder 28. Membership Lists: 1921 – 1922
Two membership lists.
Folder 29. Music Festivals: 1940 – 1948
Programs for Musical Festivals held at the Downingtown Junior-Senior High School and West Chester High School, programs for a Talent Festival, and a Vaudeville Show.
Folder 30. Miscellaneous: 1913 – 1937
Clippings, envelopes, the by-laws of the Keystone Grange Exchange, 75th Anniversary paper table napkins, a copy of the PA State Board of Education “Pennsylvania Child Labor Act and Continuation Schools” bulletin.
Series Title: Brandywine Grange No. 60 (East Bradford Township)
Dates: 1895 – 1948
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes a poem and a history.
Folder 31. 1895 –1948
Contains a poem written by Alfred E. Baker in 1895 and a history of the Brandywine Grange written from condensed Grange records by H. Russell Worthington on their seventy-fifth anniversary in 1948.
Series Title: Chester Valley Grange No. 1496 (Charlestown Township)
Dates: n.d., 1911 -1953
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes six programs and a letter.
Folder 32. n.d. 1911 – 1953
Contains a program from the show, “The Only Girl in Sight,” the program and menu from their seventy-fifth anniversary celebration, a letter to Morris Abner Barr asking him to give a talk, and programs for the musical “Showboat” for 1953, 1954, and 1955.
Series Title: Doe Run Grange No. 1269 (West Marlborough Township)
Dates: 1906 – 1912
Quantity: 16 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes ticket stubs, programs, a blue print map, booklets, and minute and treasurer’s books from 1908 to1970.
Folder 33. n.d. 1906 – 1954
Contains ticket stubs, cards listing meeting dates and officers, a booklet for the “Entertainment and Lecture Course,” and invitation to a Leap Year Dance in 1912, a blue print map of the proposed location for the Assembly hall (1912), a ticket stub to the “Little Politician” (1913) and “The Village Lawyer” (1916), a special stamp tax for a dealer in untaxed opium, and a history booklet commemorating the first fifty years.
Folder 34. Minute book, 1908 – 1912.
Folder 35. Minute book, 1912 – 1914.
Folder 36. Minute book, 1914 – 1917.
Box 3:
Folder 37. Minute book, 1917 – 1919.
Folder 38. Minute book, 1919 – 1923.
Folder 39. Minute book, 1923 – 1927
Folder 40. Minute book, 1927 – 1931.
Folder 41. Minute book, 1931 – 1934.
Folder 42. Minute book, 1934 – 1938.
Folder 43. Minute book, 1938 – 1941.
Folder 44. Treasurer’s book, 1940 – 1946.
Folder 45. Minute book,1941 – 1945.
Box 4:
Folder 46. Minute book,1948 – 1951.
Folder 47. Treasurer’s account book, 1946 – 1965.
Folder 48. Treasurer’s account book, 1965 – 1970.
Series Title: East Lynn Grange No. 1263 (East Marlborough Township)
Dates: 1874 – 1948
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes a poem, a history, and an account book.
Folder 49. n.d., 1874 – 1948
Contains an anonymous poem and essay, an account book from 1874 – 1888, and a typescript history written in 1948.
Series Title: Fernwood Grange No. 1329 (Londonderry Township)
Dates: 1906 – 1986
Quantity: 36 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes programs, a history, books, minute books, a roll book, and dues record.
Folder 50. Minute Book 1906-1909
Folder 51. Roll book, 1906 – 1936.
Folder 52. 1907
Contains one book of Grange Melodies published by the National Grange in 1907.
Folder 53. n.d., 1908 – 1985
Contains programs for dramatic productions “The Fruit of His Folly” and “The Colonel’s Maid,” a post card, ticket stub, and an eighty-year history.
Folder 54. Minute book,1909 – 1913.
Folder 55. Minute book, 1913 – 1916.
Box 5:
Folder 56. 1916
Contains one copy of The Healthful Farmhouse by Helen Dodd.
Folder 57. Minute book,1918 – 1923.
Folder 58. Minute book,1923 – 1927.
Folder 59. Dues book,1927 – 1936.
Folder 60. Minute book,1928 – 1931.
Folder 61. Silver Certificate Record: 1931 – 1957
Contains one book with lists of twenty-five year members.
Folder 62. Minute book, 1932 – 1935.
Folder 63. Minute book,1935 – 1938.
Folder 64. Minute book,1938 – 1940.
Folder 65. Roll book, 1940 – 1946.
Box 6:
Folder 66. Minute book,1940 – 1943.
Folder 67. Minute book, 1943 – 1946.
Folder 68. 1946 – 1956
Daily Local News clippings.
Folder 69. Minute book, 1946 – 1947.
Folder 70. Minute book, 1947 – 1951.
Folder 71. Minute book, 1951 – 1955.
Folder 72. Minute book, 1955 – 1959.
Box 7:
Folder 73. Minute book,1959 – 1964.
Folder 74. Minute book,1959 – 1964.
Folder 75. Minute book, 1964 – 1969.
Folder 76. Minute book,1969 – 1974.
Folder 77. Minute book, 1974.
Folder 78. Minute book, 1975 – 1976.
Box 8:
Folder 79. Minute book, 1977 – 1978.
Folder 80. Minute book, 1979 – 1980.
Folder 81. Minute book,1981.
Folder 82. Minute book,1982 and 1983.
Folder 83. Minute book,1984.
Folder 84. Minute book,1985.
Folder 85. Minute book,1986.
Series Title: Foxcroft Grange No. 1220 (Caln Township)
Dates: 1911 – 1913
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes two cards.
Folder 86. 1911 – 1913
Two small cards listing annual meetings and officers.
Series Title: Franklin Grange [No. 141] (Franklin Township)
Dates: 1878
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes one letter.
Folder 87. 1878
One letter written by E. R. Pyle, Secretary, concerning delinquent members.
Series Title: Goshen Grange No. 121 (East Goshen Township)
Dates: 1879 – 1966
Quantity: 28 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Content Description:
Includes essays and addresses, copies of The Grange Banner, an edited, handwritten book of essays, membership cards and certificates, event programs, a songbook, minutes, correspondence, and newsletters.
Folder 88. n.d.
Essays and Addresses: a memorial to Charles W. Roberts, an essay about Abraham Lincoln, and an essay entitled, “What Next?”
Folder 89. 1879
The Grange Banner: handwritten manuscript of essays contributed by members and edited by Anna M. Garrett.
Folder 90. 1880 – 1931
Membership: contains membership cards and two certificates.
Folder 91. 1880
Essay: “Scraps from a Journal”
Folder 92. 1881
The Grange Banner: handwritten manuscript of essays contributed by members and edited by Anna M. Garrett.
Folder 93. March 1882
The Grange Banner: handwritten manuscript of essays contributed by members and edited by Matlack Garrett.
Folder 94. November 1882
The Grange Banner: handwritten manuscript of essay contributed by members and edited by Anna M. Garrett.
Folder 95. 1882
Essay: “Floral Culture”
Folder 96. 1882
Essay: “Nutting and Thinking”
Folder 97. 1882 – 1884
A copy book of essays by Anna M. Garrett.
Folder 98. 1883
The Grange Banner: handwritten manuscript of essays contributed by members and edited by Anna M. Garrett.
Folder 99. 1883 – 1959
Programs for 4H Club events, Grange anniversaries, “Brother’s Night,” and a booklet “The Grange Initiate and Declaration of Purposes.”
Folder 100. 1883
One clothbound Grange song book belonging to Anna M. Garrett.
Folder 101. 1883 and 1884
Essays: “The Life of Man” and “The World and Its Inhabitants.”
Box 9:
Folder 102. 1884 – 1955
Contains cards listing annual meetings, 1889 – 1930, minutes for meetings 1890 – 1892, a building report, and a report from the Goshen Grange delegate to the Pennsylvania State Grange in 1955.
Folder 103. 1884
Essay: “The Past and Present” attributed to B. Franklin Garrett.
Folder 104. 1889 – 1931
Correspondence: letters to and from the Garrett family, Roberts family, Ellen R. Pyle, Anna P. Smedley, Brother Brinton and Edith Paschall.
Folder 105. 1890
Handwritten manuscript of “Addresses of Welcome.”
Folder 106. Newsletters, 1954.
Folder 107. Newsletters, 1955.
Folder 108. Newsletters, 1956.
Folder 109. Newsletters,1957-1958.
Folder 110. Newsletters.1958 – 1959.
Folder 111. Newsletters.1959 – 1960
Folder 112. Newsletters.1960 – 1963.
Folder 113. Newsletters, 1963 – 1964.
Folder 114. Newsletters, 1965 – 1966.
Folder 115. n.d. 1876 – 1954
Miscellaneous: contains Anna M. Garrett’s name in calligraphy, a Grange drawing, and assorted envelopes.
Series Title: Highland Grange No. 980 (Highland Township)
Dates: 1930
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes a notebook and a history.
Folder 116. 1930
Notes from Fortieth Anniversary and a handwritten history of the Grange.
Series Title: Honey Brook Grange No. 1688 (Honey Brook Township)
Dates: n.d., [1936] – 1942
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes letterheads, a festival notice and an annual meeting card.
Folder 117. n.d. [1936] – 1942
Grange stationary logos, a notice for a Fireman’s Carnival [1936], and a card listing meetings for 1942.
Series Title: London Grove Grange No. 63 (Avondale)
Dates: 1906 – 1949
Quantity: 2 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes ticket stubs, invitations, cards listing annual meetings, and programs.
Folder 118. n.d. 1906 – 1909
Contains ticket stubs, cards listing annual meetings and officers.
Folder 119. 1908 – 1949
Invitations, programs for “Oh, Susannah,” “The Arabian Nights,” “Here Comes Charlie,” and the Seventy-fifth Anniversary in 1949.
Series Title: Marshallton Grange No. 1394 (West Bradford Township)
Dates: n.d., 1908 – 1976
Quantity: 2 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes By-Laws, lists of annual meetings, programs, and subscriptions.
Folder 120. 1908 – 1942
Contains official membership certificates within printed booklets of Marshallton Grange by-laws and cards listing annual meetings and officers from 1909 – 1942.
Folder 121. n.d. 1912 – 1976
Programs for Corn Night, a play entitled “Phyllis’s Inheritance,” invitations to anniversary celebrations, and subscriptions to the Pennsylvania Grange News.
Series Title: New London Grange No. 1326 (New London Township)
Dates: n.d., 1947 – 1948
Quantity: 2 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes a typescript history, essays, a speech, a poem, and programs.
Folder 122. n.d. 1947 – 1948
A history of the New London Grange and officers from 1906 – 1947, a copy of a speech given by Richard Swan, a copy of a play written and directed by Grace Bryan Ford, and a wedding anniversary poem.
Folder 123. 1948
Programs for a play entitled “The Rose Covered Cottage” and for the dedication the New London Grange Hall.
Series Title: North Coventry Grange No. 2011 (North Coventry Township)
Dates: n.d., 1938 – 1981
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes reproduction drawing of Grange Hall, program, list of meetings, and a postcard.
Folder 124. n.d. 1938 – 1981
Contains a reproduction of a pen and ink drawing of the North Coventry Grange Hall by Mary Ropeter Dieck, a program for the Hall’s dedication, a card listing the meetings and officers in 1944, and a post card invitation.
Series Title: Oxford Grange No. 67 (Oxford Township)
Dates: 1874 – 1913
Quantity: 6 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes a roll book, minute books, a record book, and dues records.
Folder 125. Roll book, 1874.
Box 10:
Folder 126. Minute book, 1884 – 1886.
Folder 127. Minute book,1895 – 1898.
Folder 128. Minute book, 1901 – 1903.
Folder 129. Record book,1906 – 1909.
Folder 130. Dues record book,1910 – 1913.
Series Title: Russellville Grange No.91 (Upper Oxford)
Dates: n.d., 1906 – 1974
Quantity: 2 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes ticket stubs, a receipt, an invitation, entertainment programs, and a booklet.
Folder 131. n.d. 1906 – 1934
Ticket stubs, a program for the play, “Home Ties,” receipts, an entertainment course (1924), an invitation, and a lecturer’s program (1934).
Folder 132. 1974
A booklet commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Russellville Grange containing a history, photos, and biographies of members.
Series: Sadsburyville Grange No. 1085 (Sadbury Township)
Dates: n.d.
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes a handwritten history.
Folder 133. n.d.
A history of the Sadsburyville Grange written by Mary R. Grossman.
Series: Upper Oxford Grange (Upper Oxford Township)
Dates: 1874 – 1914
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes legal documents.
Folder 134. 1874 – 1914
Contains petition for incorporation and four indenture for tracts of land.
Series: Uwchlan Grange [No. 1298] (Uwchlan Township)
Dates: n.d., 1929 – 1955
Quantity: 3 folders
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents description:
Includes meeting cards, by-laws, songs, membership applications, programs, and news clipping.
Folder 135. 1929
Contains a handwritten essay about the politico-economic aspects of Grange activities by R. Louis Lloyd.
Folder 136. n.d. 1942 -1955
Contains cards listing meeting dates and officers, typescript song sheets such as “The Uwchlan Grange Song” (sung to the tune of “Marching Through Georgia”), membership lists, programs for events, invitations to bake sales, and a souvenir program which includes a brief history.
Folder 137. 1947 – 1949
Contains a scrapbook of newspaper clippings.
Series: Willistown Grange No. 114
Dates: 1874
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes songbooks.
Folder 138. 1874
Contains two songbooks.
Series: Pomona Grange No. 8 (Montgomery County)
Dates: 1883
Quantity: 1 folder
Arrangement: Chronological
Contents Description:
Includes membership certificates.
Folder 139. 1883
Contains two membership certificates.
225 N. High Street, West Chester, PA 19380 | 610-692-4800
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