| DECEMBER 16, 2011 -- The Seven Star Grange, No. 73 in Troy, Maine has been entered in the National Register of Historic Places according to Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., Director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. This designation indicates that the property has been documented, evaluated and considered worthy of presentation and protection as part of the nation’s cultural heritage.
The Seven Star Grange No. 73 is a building, which has served the community of Troy for 135 years. The hall was built by members of the Grange in 1876 to serve as their meeting hall, only three years after the first Grange was established in Maine.
Throughout the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries, the Grange, or Patron’s of Husbandry, was an important social and fraternal organization with an emphasis on agricultural education. Its influence was widespread — ultimately 588 individual Granges were established in the state between 1873 and 1985 — but the focus of each Grange was on assisting the local community. Not only was the Grange Hall a place for members to hold their meetings; in many communities, including Troy, it became a center for social activity.
The design of the Troy Grange illustrates two important aspects of the organization: the early adoption of cooperative purchasing/establishment of a Grange Store, and the later importance of broadening the ability of the community to use the building by adding a stage.
In recognition of the significance of this property to the community, the Seven Star Grange was listed in the Nation Register of Historic Places for its current and past role in the social and entertainment history of the Troy area. |
