Maryland State Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry records
Collection
0101-MDHC
Colora Grange, founded in 1873 in Cecil County, was the first Grange in Maryland. The Grange Movement developed rapidly as an agricultural fraternity and later as a commercial organization. Over the years, the Maryland Grange has also addressed such issues as war relief and education. Also documented in the files are local Granges, juvenile Granges, and the relationship of the Maryland and National Granges. The records of the Maryland Grange consist of correspondence, minutes, ledgers, proceedings, directories, pamphlets, clippings, and songs.
This collection is open for research.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
17.00 Linear Feet
The Maryland State Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry records cover the period from the establishment of the first Grange in the state of Maryland in 1873 to 2000. The collection consists of correspondence, financial records, minutes, publications, reports, histories of individual Granges, membership lists, proceedings from annual meetings, speeches, and newspaper clippings.
Oliver Hudson Kelley organized the first Grange in Washington in 1868. The Colora Grange in Cecil County was Maryland's first, established in 1873. The Grange Movement grew quickly, and by 1874, 110 Granges existed all over Maryland. The organization rapidly evolved from an agricultural fraternity to a largely commercial venture. When business failure hit in 1875, membership dropped and many Granges were disbanded. Since that heyday, the Grange has remained active not only in agriculture and things affecting agriculture, but also as a special action group, taking a stand on such issues as war and peace, relief, and education. By 1960, 45 Granges were active in the state of Maryland.
The collection is organized as seven) series.
A. B. Hamilton donated the recordss to the University of Maryland Libraries in 1973. Additional materials were received in 1977 and 1979 and incorporated into the collection. Nancy Wolfe donated files relating to the Maryland State Youth Grange in 1981. Materials separated from various university archival groups during processing were incorporated into the collection in January 2000. Maryland State Grange Master John Thompson donated a substantial amount of additional materials in January 2002.
The original donation was processed in March 1973, and later addenda, received in 1977 and 1979, were integrated into the collection. Work on the records of the Maryland State Youth Grange in March 1986 resulted in the establishment of a fifth series. It was determined that the Student Grange and the Junior Grange were separate organizations whose records did not belong together. The Student Grange files remained in Series 2 and those of the Junior Grange became Series 4. All files have been transferred to acid-neutral folders and boxes. Photographs were transferred to the Photograph collection and memorabilia was transferred to the Memorabilia collection. In June 2011, photographs which were previously removed to the Biographical Print Files were reintegrated into the collection.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives