The Kansas State Grange was founded in 1867 as one of 37 state members of the National Grange, officially called the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. The National Grange was formed after the Civil War as an advocacy group for farmers concerned about the economic state of farming in the wake of the war, with the goal of connecting and educating farmers across America. Since its founding, the Kansas State Grange has followed the National Grange’s lead in opposing all forms of exclusion, upholding the Grange’s national motto: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” The Grange was the first national organization to include women in its voting membership, 50 years before national suffrage.

The first local Kansas Grange was officially organized in 1872 in Hiawatha, Brown County. The first organizational session of the Kansas State Grange was held July 30-August 1 in 1873, at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kansas. Throughout the 1870s, the “Grangers” helped establish many laws that aided farmers and spearheaded several farming practices and programs that are still in use today. On March 26, 1873, a farmer’s convention was held in Topeka, where farmers were encouraged to join a farming organization and a “Cause of Action” was issued. The “Cause of Action” was anti-monopolistic, against high rates on shipping via railroad, and against mortgage taxation. The Grange at that time was the largest organized group of farmers in Kansas, and supported all elements of the “Cause of Action” – as a result, it gained a prominent membership at this convention.

Though the Grange is officially nonpartisan, the Independent Reform Party in Kansas that was produced largely by the farmer’s convention was made up almost entirely of Grange members – it was even called the Granger Party by some newspapers and Kansans. The Independent Reform Party later became the “People’s Party,” or Populists, which won control of the state legislature beginning in 1890 when 92 Populists were voted into office. The 1892 elections saw both the Populist Party and the Republican Party claiming victory over the legislature. This conflict culminated in a three-day standoff where the Populists locked themselves in the House Hall and the Republicans used a sledgehammer to break down the doors. The Populists surrendered, and the state Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the Republican Party. After this defeat the Populists began to lose sway, until by the late 1890s the Republicans had regained control of the legislature. The Populist Party was essentially dissolved as members merged allegiance with the Democrats.

After the 1880s the Grange fell out of popularity and lost influence, but it still exists today as a community and advocacy organization. The Kansas State Grange remains a nonprofit fraternal organization based in grassroots activism and family values, focusing on rural America and agriculture. Activities the organization participates in are usually community-service oriented, particularly for rural Kansas communities. These activities and resources include providing scholarship funds, putting on low- or no-cost summer camps, and providing resources such as books to rural schools. The Kansas State Grange is engaged in being the voice for rural communities in Kansas and is dedicated to nonpartisan advocacy. Departments of the Kansas State Grange include Community Service, Junior Grange, Legislative, Lecturer(s), and Youth and Young Adults.

Today, 10 of the over 2,000 original local Kansas Granges are still in operation; they are numbered based on the order in which they established membership after the State Grange was started. These are the Gardner Grange #68, Morning Grange #227, Cadmus Grange #350, Indian Creek Grange #1431, Pleasant View Grange #1459, Otter Creek Grange #1493, Bayneville Grange #1810, Neosho Valley Grange #1883, Richland Grange #1995, and New Century Grange #2007. In 2022 the Kansas State Grange was listed as an Honor State Grange thanks to an overall increase in membership, and 6 of its 10 local Granges were Honor Granges with a growth in membership.

[information retrieved from Kansapedia by the Kansas Historical Society, the Kansas State Grange website, the Kansas Granger Newsletter, and the National Grange website.]