Maine Granges drop secrecy, see membership rise

WATERTVILLE – Efforts to make the Grange more open to outsiders are paying off in Maine, where some local chapters are seeing their memberships rise after a long period of decline.

“The National Grange is trying to take out the secrecy,” said Steve Verrill, president of the Maine State Grange in Augusta. “They’ve been doing studies that show that people don’t like secrecy.”

The Grange has been around since the 1800s, when in many towns its local chapters were the hub of the largely rural population’s social activity. Over the years, as communities became more urbanized and people more mobile, memberships declined and halls closed.

But in some central Maine towns, there’s a renewed interest in the local Grange.

Memberships at the Arlington Grange in Whitefield and Bunker Hill Grange in Jefferson are growing. Granges in Winthrop, Manchester, Litchfield, Oakland, Readfield, Skowhegan and Benton are doing well. But there have also been some closings, such as the Cobbosseecontee Grange in West Gardiner.

Verrill said enrollment at many other Granges in central Maine is holding, but could be better. One way to improve it may be to ease up on some Grange traditions, members say.

Grange organization borrows roles from an old English farm. Officers include a master, gatekeeper, chaplain, lecturer, overseer, secretary and treasurer. Members know passwords and secret hand signals, and people usually aren’t allowed to attend meetings unless they are members.

“It used to take an act of God to get people through the door,” said Fran Miller, a member of the Arlington Grange, whose membership has grown from 35 a few years ago to 54. “Now we have more of an open-door policy and that is more important.”

With some of the strict rules scrapped, “A lot of people are coming to see what it’s like and a lot are joining,” said Arlington’s secretary, Elizabeth Arsenault.

The Bunker Hill Grange has gained members by enrolling summer residents, said Secretary Arlene Cole.

Grange chapters have also eased up on membership requirements and established Junior Granges to attract younger members. There are now five Junior Granges in the state.