By Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029
HAPPY 150TH ANNIVERSARY. “Six months after the first Subordinate Grange was organized in Maine, twenty men met in Lewiston at the GAR Hall on April 21, 1874, to found the Maine State Grange. Seventeen of the twenty were Masters of Subordinate Granges in Maine; one was a Subordinate Secretary. Also present was the Master of the New Hampshire State Grange, Dudley T. Chase, and a General Deputy of the National Grange, O.D. Hinkley. Nelson Ham of Lewiston was elected State Master at this session.
In December 1874, the State Grange met for its first Annual Session in Lewiston. By this time, the organization had grown from 18 to 64 Granges with about 2000 members.”
(Excerpt From A Fair Field And No Favor—A Concise History of the Maine State Grange by Stanley Howe)
The first Grange in Maine, Eastern Star #1 in Hampden, was organized October 20, 1873. Six of those 18 early organized Granges are still continuing their positive impact in their communities.
- Excelsior #5 in Poland organized 3/5/1874
- Androscoggin #8 in Greene organized 3/24/1874
- Harraseeket #9 in Freeport organized 3/24/1874
- North Jay #10 in North Jay organized 3/27/1874
- Farmington #11 (N. Farmington) in West Farmington organized 4/3/1874
- Somerset #18 in Norridgewock organized 4/20/1874
HAPPY 150TH ANNIVERSARY to each of you, we wish you continued success.
The following Degree Days have been set up, and they will be conferring all 4 Degrees on the same day. (The word Degree refers to a level of the Grange, the first Four Degrees brings you into Subordinate or Community membership.) Degree Days are open to all candidates who must have been voted into membership in a Subordinate Grange to receive the degrees. Please bring the application for membership with you. If you have already received the Obligation Ceremony or the Welcome Ceremony, you are welcome to come and view these instructive beautiful degrees, or any current members are eligible to attend. Current members will be required to provide the annual password that you are entitled to receive from your Subordinate Master if your dues are up to date.
- April 14 at North Scarboro Grange; 74 County Rd., Scarborough. Contact Mike Griffin, Master, for information and to let him know how many will be coming. Meeting starting at 1:00pm.
- April 21 at State Grange HQ, 146 State Street, Augusta. Contact Maynard Chapman, Chief Deputy, for information and to let him know how many will be coming. Meeting starting at 1:00pm.
While on the subject of membership eligibility. As the prospective candidate/member, you must submit an application with a fee to a Subordinate Grange, the application must be voted on by the membership in a regular meeting with a quorum present, then you must receive the conferral of the 4 Degrees, the Obligation Ceremony or the Welcome Ceremony to become a member. Only then are you entitled to vote on issues, elections or business in that Grange. You are able to visit a Grange meeting, but to have a vote in the business you must become a member by one of the prescribed methods above found in the Grange Manual. Maine uses the ballot box with balls and cubes for membership applications.