The Grange

If you live in a relatively rural part of the USA, there might be a local Grange Hall in your area. The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry is a fraternal organization patterned after the Masons that promoted the interests of farmers and rural Americans from just after the Civil War through today.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Grange is its stunning success and subsequent inability to act on that success. The organization membership exploded shortly after its founding, and managed to create an alternate economic and market infrastructure of cooperatives, however, it seems the organization veered away from its economic role in favor of advocacy of progressive legislative themes. The organization was founded to be something like an advocate for the yeomanry, but then stepped away from that role as it succeeded. It neutered itself.

The Grange is a great example of how a secret society or fraternal organizations can be engines of political organization. It is also a unique case of intentional moderation, or from another perspective, the Grange is a negative example. The elements missing from its structure, e.g. counter-intelligence to name one, put severe limits on its ability to promote members interests and failed to protect the land people against the sea people.