Washington State Grange

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The Grange is not only an agricultural community organization, but it is also a fraternal order. Like all fraternal organizations, the Grange has a proscribed method--a ritual--for opening and closing meetings and for inducting new members.

Each Grange meeting is opened with a prayer and presentation of the flag. The subordinate Grange confers upon new members the first four degrees which ceremonially represent the seasons of the year. The county or district Pomona Grange confers the fifth degree and the sixth and seventh degrees are conferred by the state and national Granges respectively.

Grange meetings are essentially business meetings with a portion of the time set aside for an entertainment or educational feature. There are ample opportunities for each member present to become an active part of the meeting and every member has an equal voice and vote.

Names and Titles

The name "Grange" for the organization originated in England, although it comes originally from the French word for "barn." During the Middle Ages, the word "grange" in France was used for farms run by monks and monasteries, which were usually exempt from taxes. Early English farms were also sometimes called "Granges."

Many of the titles of Grange offices come from the same source. The owner of a farm in medieval England, for instance, was called the "Master" and the "Overseer" was the person in charge of the workers. The "Steward" had responsibility for the estate. The person in charge of security--the guard--was known as a "gatekeeper." These titles are incorporated into the Grange and are used to designate certain offices.

The names of the three court ladies or Graces-"Pomona, Ceres and Flora"- were taken from Greek mythology and represent fruit, grain and flowers respectively.

Other titles of offices, such as lecturer, chaplain, treasurer and secretary, were determined by the scope of their duties.

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