Article Body:
After 5-plus years of renovations, the Norfolk Grange hall will be officially unveiled to the public at an open house to be held on January 9. Members of the Grange will be on hand to answer questions and educate the community about the organization and its history.
Built in 1863 as the Baptist Church of North Wrentham, the building was purchased by the Norfolk Grange in 1922. Over the years, it has also been used as a temporary town hall, voting place, and library. School graduations were held in the building, and before St. Jude’s Church was built, area Catholics held their services at the Grange.
“This Grange hall was the center of Norfolk’s life,” said Marie Simpson, the organization’s treasurer and long-time member.
The National Grange was founded in 1867 to promote and protect the interests of farming communities, but over the years it has evolved to include community service and education. In Norfolk, current members are committed to bettering the town, and focus on preservation of open spaces.
The Norfolk Grange is behind the community’s “Clean and Green,” initiative, held on Earth Day each April. Volunteers clean up the town’s roadways and then recycle the trash. In addition, Grange members volunteer at the town’s community garden on Union Street. Produce from the garden is then donated to both the Norfolk and Franklin food pantries.
The organization also takes part in the “Words for Thirds” program, which provides dictionaries to third grade students at the Freeman-Kennedy School. “Words for Thirds” is part of the Dictionary Project, an initiative from the National Grange. The National Grange has provided over 100,000 dictionaries to third graders across
the nation as part of its educational outreach.
According to Kevin Roche, Norfolk Grange’s president, the organization currently has about 32 members but he is hoping that number will grow. Anyone can join, and the only prerequisite is a desire to better the town through the group’s activities. No green thumb is needed, said Roche; in fact, tech-savvy new members are welcome, as the group hopes to enter the digital age with a revamped website and social media outreach. Current members range in age from 21 to 88, but members can be as young as 14. In the not-too-distant past, Norfolk also had a Junior Grange for members younger than 14.
Roche, who was elected last June, is planning several family-friendly events in the coming year, including a joint project with the Norfolk Lions at the former Gump’s Farm, now the home of Norfolk’s newest playground. Roche is also hoping to start a farmer’s market at the Grange this summer.
Roche says the Grange is unique in that it was the first organization in the country that welcomed women as equal members from its inception. Furthermore, the National Grange was behind the women’s suffrage movement, and stipulates that at least three members of each local board must be female. As an agrarian organization, the Grange recognized that women were equal partners in farm families. This year, the National Grange elected its first female president.
Norfolk Grange member Georgia Jones has been part of the organization for over 60 years, and has also served as the group’s president. Jones, who grew up on a farm on King Street, emphasized “If you are a member of a farming family, everyone has a function, equally important,” regardless of gender or age.
The Grange hall itself is one of only a handful of Grange halls still standing in the state. In 1989, it was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Not unlike a barn-raising, it’s taken a community-wide effort to get the building back in shape.
The renovation, started in 2009, was made possible by Norfolk’s Community Preservation funds. The project took longer than anticipated due to unforeseen setbacks, but is 90% complete. The renovation included new septic, electrical, interior painting, and handicap-accessible bathrooms. Grange members raised additional funds to refinish the floor. Future plans include a new kitchen and additional landscaping.
The exterior paint job was completed by a prison work party provided by the Department of Corrections. According to Simpson, the men scraped, power-washed, primed and painted for two straight weeks. “They did a yeoman’s job,” praised Simpson.
Camger Chemicals supplied the primer, added Simpson, and Sherwin Williams donated the paint. A local businessman donated the use of a man-lift so workers could reach the roof.
Grange members hope the newly-renovated building will become a community center once again. The hall has a capacity of 100 people and is also available for rent, with Norfolk residents getting a discount.
The building is already in use by some local groups, notes Roche. Ivy Music has held recitals there and Norfolk Lions Soccer now holds their meetings in the hall. A vintage marketplace was held at the Grange hall on several Saturdays this past fall, and a yoga class meets there, too. Recently, a local family held a Sweet 16 party at the Grange.
The Grange Open House will be held on Saturday, January 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. All ages are welcome, and refreshments will be served. For more information, or to rent the Grange, call 508-369-6754.