By by John Penney & Greg Smith, Norwich Bulletin, 9/11/08
OCTOBER 2008 -- A visitor to a Grange meeting a century ago may have encountered a group of farmers engaged in political talk focused on the problems of rural life — mixed with dinner and dancing.
The Norwich Grange, No. 172, celebrated its 100th anniversary Wednesday with about 50 people, many from Granges across the state. And while the urgency of the grange’s founding political mission has tapered off, its 75 members still consider community service a cornerstone activity, through scholarships, donations and charitable contributions.
“We don’t have many farmers now,” Norwich Grange President Donna Bartling said. “We do what we can in the community — anything that comes along that we feel is a good cause.”
The group formed in 1908 inside a former schoolhouse on Bean Hill. By joining a Grange, a farmer could socialize with like-minded peers, while also becoming part of a larger voice in local and state politics. Granges also were one of the few organizations to admit women as equal members — decades before the women’s suffrage movement was accepted nationally.
The Grange movement started nationally shortly after the Civil War, when local farmers banded together to voice concerns about high borrowing rates laid out by banks, increased delivery prices fostered by the railroad and a general feeling of isolation.
Member Frank Kohanski noted Wednesday how lobbying efforts of the Grange organizations were far-reaching. In 1930, the Grange helped usher in a yearly $3 million state appropriation for road improvements with a “Get Connecticut out of the mud” campaign.
“They were instrumental in getting a lot of things done, like rural mail delivery and electrification,” Kohanski said.
Wednesday’s anniversary was marked by reminiscing and entertainment, notably the autoharp played by North Stonington Grange member Nancy Weissmuller.
“A hundred years of continuous service is a special achievement by any organization,” state Grange President Robert Sendewicz said.
State Rep. Melissa Olson, D-Norwich, and Mayor Ben Lathrop made proclamations in honor of the celebration. Gov. M. Jodi Rell declared Wednesday Norwich Grange Day in the state.
Haitian Health Foundation President Jeremiah Lowney spoke about the importance of agriculture to the famine stricken third-world country. The local Grange supports the Haitian Health Foundation financially.
