Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Find out how in this short video! Sorry you missed this one!
By Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director
We’re again getting reports of people receiving an email that appears to be from Master Sherry. At first glance, this one appears to be legitimate and includes “I could really count on you to help with this important project. Maine State Grange need some gift cards for donate to Veterans in Hospice and care units. I will personally handle reimbursement.” [sic] (Grammar errors are also a clue.)
If you are thinking, “that doesn’t sound right,” you are correct. Here’s another important clue:
Your best practice is to ignore ANY email requesting gift cards. Do not click any links in it, and do not reply to it. If you are concerned about the request, contact the sender directly by some other method.
If you’ll forgive (or at least tolerate) an attempt at humor… “A patron places faith in God, nurtures hope, dispenses charity but is also cautious!”
Drew writes:
Looking for any information regarding Thorne’s Corner Grange in Lewiston (Grange number 408 or 498?). It was torn down in the late 80’s/early 90’s. During demolition, my father was able to retrieve the stained glass window, and it is now in my possession. I would love to get more historical information.
Thank you.
We’ve replied:
Congratulations on having that window! Unfortunately, information regarding closed Granges can be a real challenge. We’ve found that local historical societies are sometimes a great source! A list of resources is available on the site. According to one resource, Thornes Corner was chartered on 9/19/1874 and closed in 1948. Some records may be available at the Fogler Library in Orono’s special collections.
If you have any information regarding this Grange, please contact Drew directly!
Understanding the ways criminals seek to steal money can help you stay a step ahead of scams.
While scams take many forms, scammers may seek payment through a few hard-to-trace methods with few or no protections, including gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, peer-to-peer apps and, more recently, gold bars.
Criminals impersonating law enforcement or bank employees may convince targets to protect their bank accounts from an active hack by withdrawing their savings and purchasing gold bars as a way to keep their money safe. Then they send a courier to pick up the gold bars for ‘safekeeping.’ This scheme is happening across the country and victims are having their entire life savings stolen in this way. If your bank calls about an urgent matter, hang up and call them back at a number you know to be legitimate.
Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.
A fellow Granger is never a stranger. There is an immediate bond between Grangers. We are part of a long and honorable tradition. Through Grange Programs, I can serve my community in ways I cannot do alone.
Janice, Valley Grange #144
Sagadahoc Pomona will have our annual Fifth Degree at Enterprise Grange #48, on Wednesday, April 29, 2025, with a potluck supper at 6:00 pm and a meeting at 7:00 pm. Candidates from other Pomonas are welcome. Please bring your entry form signed by your master or secretary. For more information, contact Marilyn Stinson at 207-737-2611 or marilynstinson41@gmail.com. Enterprise Grange is located at 15 Alexander Reed Road in Richmond, Maine.
By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842
Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Please send us your ideas and thoughts!
The March Bulletin deadline is now available. Submit those posts and columns now! Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.
In a recent issue of Grange Today! (see page 8), National Grange announced a number of changes to contests, including some that are dropped altogether. Directors and Chairs in Maine will be reviewing these to see what impact there might be on Maine Contests.
It is possible that a few flyers/posters were distributed with an incorrect start time! The correct start time is 1:00 p.m. Sorry for any inconvenience!
You should know that it became necessary to change the dates for MSG State Session due to conflicting events at UMaine. Make sure your calendars are correct!
How about a “swap meet?” These are gaining popularity–in simplest form, they are topical with an opportunity for like-minded folks to exchange excess supplies. Use your imagination: craft and sewing supplies, gardening things, music and instruments…
“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!'”
Robin Williams
One of the dichotomies we see in the Grange is a sometimes disconnect between the definition of membership as found in the ritual of the Grange and the everyday life of the Grange.
I suspect that was much less true in the earlier days of the Grange when members more accurately called themselves “Patrons of Husbandry.” (Did you know there was intense resistance to adopting the term “Granger?” Many noted the Grange was a building. Patrons of Husbandry met in that building and it was therefore inaccurate to call members Grangers.)
In a sense, that argument was never resolved. As is often the case, everyday use of the words has changed. Most members now think of themselves as Grangers and would so identify. For one thing, it’s much easier to say “I’m a Granger” than “I’m a Patron of Husbandry.”
At the outset of the First Degree Ritual, the assistant steward announces to the overseer, “…these friends of ours seek initiation into the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, and desire instruction.” Nowhere in the ritual is it said, “They want to become Grangers.” It’s an interesting distinction, particularly when we note the importance of “instruction” throughout all the degrees.
The overseer responds with, “Friends, the Grange is a great fraternity, and the lessons of its ritual are expressed by the use of symbols drawn from the field, the farm, and the farm home.” An overview of the ritual compares the seasons on the farm, and it doesn’t take long to establish that joining this fraternity means being a willing worker. “…there is work for all, and the idler has no place among Patrons of Husbandry.”
The themes of instruction and work continue throughout. I suspect it was “easier” for farmers to follow and understand that. A farmer, by nature of his way of life, is a Patron of Husbandry. The teaching of the degrees is, for the most part, helping the farmer see the connection between his life as a farmer and his life as a member of society.
The lecturer has already explained, “the first and highest object of our Order is ‘to develop a higher manhood and womanhood.'” Nature (agriculture, farming) offers us a plethora of lessons or examples of how to achieve a higher personhood. While a “degree day” may seem long and arduous, it only scratches the surface of the possibilities for a Patron of Husbandry. Or a Granger.
I’m not suggesting that we debate these terms. I am suggesting that, whatever words we use, let’s not forget the simple meaning. “I joined the Grange to become a better person.”
Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.