Community & shared history: Moran Prairie Grange Exhibit
Posted on April 19, 2018 at 6:00 am
Moran Prairie Grange: A Washington Rural Heritage Exhibit
MORAN PRAIRIE LIBRARY
May 2–29, 2018
Explore the historical artifacts, photos, and stories of the Moran Prairie Grange in this exhibit made possible by a grant from Washington State Library with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
About the Moran Prairie Grange
The Moran Prairie Grange was established in 1929. Granges are subjects of historical significance in Washington for the roles they played in rural life. The state’s first grange was organized in 1873 near Walla Walla, and Washington enjoys the distinction of having more grange members than any other state.
As lobbying organizations, granges have long given rural residents a voice in state government. As social gathering places, these farm-based fraternal organizations have a long history of providing rural residents with the means to socialize and support their communities. Washington’s granges continue to provide growth opportunities for youth through scholarships and summer camps.
Historically, the membership of the Moran Prairie Grange was an active one, with the grange hall and its members playing an important part in the social functions of this farm community south of Spokane. As the farmland has become developed for homes and commercial use, active grange membership has decreased. This puts its traditions and stories in danger of being lost. To become a member of the grange, you don’t have to be affiliated with a farm. Anyone interested in community involvement can learn about membership in the Moran Prairie Grange at www.moranprairiegrange.org.
About the digitization project
To preserve the history of the grange and make its history accessible to everyone, the Spokane County Library District partnered with the Moran Prairie Grange on a Washington Rural Heritage project. As artifacts, documents, and photos have been digitized, library staff and grange members have worked together to preserve oral histories as well. The digital collection will be available online in May 2018 at the Washington Rural Heritage website: www.washingtonruralheritage.org.
This project is supported by a grant from the Washington State Library with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Tags: artifacts, documents, exhibit, history, Moran Prairie, Moran Prairie Grange, oral history, photos, true stories, Washington Rural Heritage
