The Red Men’s Hall, destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, was one of the former meeting places for the Healdsburg Grange.
The national grange movement, founded in 1867, spread throughout rural America, embracing the values of country life and responding to the needs of local agriculture. The focus of the national grange has always been farming, fellowship and the well-being of the local community – apparent in advocacy for farmers, volunteer work, basket picnics with live music, dessert socials, and education.
By the 1870s, Healdsburg was home to California Grange #18. In 1878 the Rural Pacific Press described it as “the most popular, wealthy and flourishing Grange in the Golden State.” Members, called Grangers, brought their grains to the group’s 7500-square-foot warehouse for storage and sale. Farmers considered their meeting hall a place of beauty, good will, and harmony. At a gathering to install officers, the presiding member from the Santa Rosa Grange commented flatteringly on the “pluck and energy” of Grange #18.
SHED: A Modern Grange carries forward in the spirit of pluck, energy, support of local farmers, education, and community service. SHED brings people together to share ideas about sustainable agriculture, growing good food and caring for the land. SHED mixes the old with the new, churning butter and grinding grains in a modern recycled steel building insulated with used denim.
SHED welcomes generations of farmers, teachers, homesteaders, food artisans, do-it-yourselfers, tool sharpeners, basket weavers, woodworkers, potters, musicians, filmmakers and artists. Together we will roll up our sleeves, share what we know, learn, create and enjoy.
“We have the honor of numbering among our members some of the prettiest women in the state, and they are as good and brave as they are beautiful.”
I’m a member of Windsor and Sebastopol Granges and wonder about the use of “Grange” (capital G) in your literature. We’ve been made aware of the National Grange’s efforts to protect their patent of the name, Grange. Your mission is relevant to what Granges in California are doing today and it’s my hope that you will be successful with your venture as a community catalyst and not caught up in a legal dispute over that issue.
You may know there are several Granges in this area – all seem to have different interests, everything from ballet (Healdsburg Grange) to community activism (Sebastopol Grange) is covered. Is there a way that we can collaborate on issues where your organization and our Granges are of like mind?
Thanks for your time and attention,
Kate Elsbree
11100 Eastside Rd
Healdsburg, CA
707-799-9293
Hi Kate,
Thank you for your comments about granges. At SHED we see ourselves as a modern grange, a contemporary version of the traditional agrarian meeting place where farmers gathered with community to learn from each other, share ideas and celebrate. Because we feel aligned with these goals we have licensed the use of the name grange with the National Grange Association. Although we are not members of the association, they have approved and licensed our use of “grange”.
We are certainly interested in what other granges are doing in our area and across the country, and have reached out to some, including the Sebastopol Grange. I appreciate your interest in collaborating with us and would be interested in exploring the possibilities. We are not yet open, but we have several events coming up that might be interesting to your members (listed on the website), and are always looking for ways to connect with others around food and farming especially.
Thanks for your expressed wishes for our success, and please stay in touch!
Cindy