Loyal website visitors and subscribers with a great memory will perhaps remember a post a while ago regarding Starling Hall located in Fayette, Maine. That post told the “wonderful story of a former Grange Hall because of a group of dedicated volunteers.” In summary, the hall was acquired by the town and a group of volunteers in 2015 formed “Friends of Starling Hall” (FOSH) as a 501(3)C. Their efforts are described as “uniting history and purpose–restoring a treasured former Grange hall for use as a community center.”Since then, much progress has been made toward restoring the hall to its former glory.
You can read about some of the improvements and ongoing work on the Starling Grange Hall Website. These have not been easy tasks! A 2021 news article in the Kennebec Journal details much of the history and costs to date.
In order to keep the project moving forward, FOSH is currently seeking federal funding to supplement their local fundraising efforts. Certainly, Grangers understand the importance of “uniting history and purpose” and appreciate the value of maintaining heritage and history. You will enjoy the video below!