GALILEE, PA — Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting two officers of Unity Grange 1710 at their hall in Damascus Township, Wayne County. Melissa Rutledge, secretary, and her brother Bill …
Stay informed about your community and support local independent journalism.
Subscribe to The River Reporter today. click here
This item is available in full to subscribers.
Please log in to continue |
GALILEE, PA — Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting two officers of Unity Grange 1710 at their hall in Damascus Township, Wayne County. Melissa Rutledge, secretary, and her brother Bill Gager, the president, opened the doors to the hall for a Media Day to help spread the word in the community.
The Grange members are seeking funding to preserve the historic building, and they’ve reached out to the community.
Unity Grange has served the area for over 175 years.
The passion that the siblings hold for the Grange and the building was immediately clear. They are multigenerational Grangers. “We grew up in here,” said Rutledge. “Our playpen used to sit in the back corner. Basically, [the Grange building] dates back even before our grandparents.”
Gager added, “We didn’t have a choice to become a member. When you were 12, you were a member.”
“That was your birthday gift,” Rutledge interjected. “You became a member of the Grange.”
Unity Grange received its charter on January 1, 1917 and its membership grew, sparking discussion about having a meeting hall. A decision was made to purchase the creamery building in the village.
The two-story building’s interior comprises about 2,700 square feet.
Originally, the Grange meetings were held on the second floor so no one could see inside. There was a secret password to get inside, and the original doors with a peephole at eye level are still in place. Why the secrecy? The railroad and the Grange were at odds over the prices charged to farmers for shipping their grain and the railroaders would try to infiltrate Grange meetings to learn about their agenda.
Since community Granges sprang up in Wayne County at the turn of the 19th century, their buildings were assessed by the county’s tax office and received tax bills. This burden, especially in today’s world, has meant the end of many Granges. “I want to say close to 15 years ago, this Grange spearheaded tax exemption with the commissioners and they just never did it,” Rutledge said.
But last fall, the Wayne County Commissioners granted the exemption. It will greatly help not only Unity Grange but also the other two active Granges in the county: Beech Grove Grange in Honesdale and Enterprise Grange in Torrey.
“We’re now able to put that money that we were doing fundraisers for back into maintaining the hall,” Rutledge said.
A requirement of the Pennsylvania State Grange mandates that community Granges must maintain at least 13 members to keep their charter. The Unity Grange has been able to manage this with additional help from residents and community members.
Even if you don’t necessarily want to become a member, you can still help the Grange. “We call them Friends of the Grange, where they can just make a donation to the Grange during our membership drive,” Rutledge said. “And basically they’re supporting the Grange. It’s something that they care about. They want to see the hall maintained. They just love the building. For some of them, they grew up here. They moved away. So keeping the Grange hall’s kind of nostalgic for them.”
The Grange hall serves as the home of the Old Time Fiddlers. The band draws good crowds and the Grange members do refreshments; proceeds benefit the restoration effort.
The hall is also home to the Tri-Gal 4-H Club.
And the hall serves as a polling place for elections in Damascus Township #1.
The Grange has qualified for a matching grant that requires a $5,000 matching contribution. The grant covers badly needed facade improvements, and the hope is that the contract will be signed in the very near future. Granges are not tax-exempt entities under commonwealth law, but if you donate through the Wayne County Community Foundation (WCCF), which is acting as a fiscal partner, the donations will be treated as tax exempt. See “Donate to the cause,” in box at lower right.
Work has begun with window replacement underwritten by donors whose generosity is noted with plaques on the interior frames.
The roofing on the annex section is also tops on the list of needed fixes.
There are struggles with a leaky roof and a weak floor upstairs. Rutledge pointed out that the furnace just got replaced in April. “Last November for Election Day our furnace basically quit and we froze to death in here. So we rallied.” But the furnace is still being paid off, and you can help the Grange there too.
Both Rutledge and Gager are looking forward to a refurbished hall with an updated kitchen, a Grange filled with people enjoying square dancing where the whole floor vibrated, just like they remembered in their youth.
Helping the Grange helps the community.
Unity Grange maintains a Facebook page at Unity Grange1710, where you can donate and check out upcoming events and activities.
Learn more about Granges in Upper Delaware Magazine.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here