The Grange
In February 1892, Daniel Sanborn of Exeter and Thomas White, Special Deputy of the Grange from Harrisville, New Hampshire, called on Arthur Dudley and asked if he would accompany them around town to interest people in establishing a Grange. Dudley agreed.
The following day, they covered nearly all of the town. White’s arguments persuaded 31 people to agree to meet Friday evening at Flanders Hall, located on the second floor of the store on Crawley Falls Road, owned by Ephraim Flanders.
The organization was established with the assistance of White and was named Keeneborough Grange after a section of Brentwood that was a separate parish for a dozen years.
Flanders Hall was purchased by the Grange in 1908 from Flander’s successor, George Lowrie, and was paid in full by 1921, the money coming from Grange members who bought shares.
The Grange Hall was open to town committees or organizations free of charge for their meetings and was also rented to private parties for a nominal fee. Decades later, the Brentwood Volunteer Fire Department would hold its first meeting in this hall.
The Grange held discussions on topics such as developments in farming methods, productivity, and good stewardship of farming property. Over the years, the money raised to support the Grange and complete its many projects came from fraternal devotion and hard work. Members sold cookbooks and organized drama clubs, dances, public suppers, fairs, whist parties and many other small activities to bring in the needed funds.
Due to declining membership, in 1982, after 89 years of continuous operation, the Keeneborough Grange was disbanded, and the building was given to the town of Brentwood. The Brentwood Historical Society now houses its museum on the first floor, while preserving the Grange meeting hall on the second floor. It is one of very few Grange halls in New Hampshire that remains in its original state with furnishings and equipment intact.
Source: Brentwood, New Hampshire Through the Years, 1742 – 2017
Today, the Historical Society takes its stewardship of the Grange room as seriously as ever. The Society continues its commitment to ensuring the room is as authentic as possible and serves to tell the story of the Grange and remind us of its importance to the town of Brentwood. The main Grange room looks as if a meeting is about to begin, and the attached dining room is set up as it would have been during one of the Grange’s family-style meals.
Click the button for more information about The Patrons of Husbandry, also known as The Grange
