Granges not only for farms

By Walt Frank | The Altoona Mirror

Grange membership may be on the decline, but the organization founded by Oliver Hudson Kelley in 1867 to give farmers a voice continues to play a key role in rural America today.

“The Grange is a fraternal family organization based on community service and legislative action. Agriculture is still a big part but not what it is based on anymore,” said Stacy E. Bruker, public relations/membership director for the Pennsylvania Grange. “Our primary purpose is to be a fraternal organization for the family.”

The Pennsylvania Grange, chartered in 1873, today has about 9,000 members and is the second largest in the United States behind Washington.