File:Lorane Grange.jpg

English: The Lorane Grange, the oldest in Lane County, and fourth oldest in the state of Oregon, was founded on December 10, 1873, and met in the Green Door School for several years until a hall was built in 1888 on north Territorial Road. It is believed that the building was located on the Rieck place north of Ham Road, and was known as the Siuslaw Grange. The first officers were D.B. Cartwright, Master; Knox Houston, Overseer; Marion Nighswander, Secretary; William Russell, Chaplain; and James F. Amis, Sec. There were 30 charter members including William Insley Coleman.

During the earliest days of the Grange in Lorane, wagonloads of goods were ordered from as far away as Oregon City to supply the Grange members with provisions. Later, these provisions were bought by the train carload. Much of the focus of the Grange, at that time, centered on improving the roads and schools in the area. When the new hall was built in 1888, the Siuslaw Cornet band played at the dedication. Early in the 1890s, all Granges were disbanded by political dissension. All records and the charters were taken to the Herbert Doty home for safekeeping, but they were lost when the house was destroyed by fire. Sometime during the ensuing period, the Grange Hall was also destroyed, probably by fire. After 1900, Lorane Grange was revived and the present hall was built in 1909 by William F. Hart, who apparently resided in Cottage Grove. The land was donated by Philetus Davis with the provision that if the Grange ever disbanded, the property would revert to the original owners or their heirs. The Grange property grew by donation and purchase. The Lane County Courthouse shows a deed to the Siuslaw Grange No. 54 from W.C. Billings and Margaret Billings on May 21, 1910, for $138 for 1.11 acres. Another deed filed at the Lane County Courthouse shows that the Lorane Orchard Company turned over more land for the Grange for $1 on November 25, 1914. In April, 1910, J.M. Nighswander showed the first motion pictures seen in the community in the new hall. For years, Saturday night dances were held in the hall to raise money to pay off the cost of the building. Its stage was used by the high school thespians to perform their plays as the high school had no auditorium. The Grange was known to have the best stage in Lorane, so whenever there was a play to be put on, whether it be by the high school (before the new high school was built) or by the Grange, itself, it was held there. Many of the social activities over the years centered around the Grange. Concerns of Grange members in 1919 were much as they are today. During the early part of the century, discussions were held to weigh the merits of daylight savings time and a state sales tax. During the early 1930s, the Grange sponsored Turkey Trap Shoots just before the Thanksgiving holidays and the Gowing family usually supplied the turkeys. During that same time period, the Grange sponsored contests to help rid the area of unwanted “varmints.” Those who brought in the most crow’s heads, rodent tails, blue jays and grey diggers were awarded prizes. Usually a .22 caliber rifle was the top prize. In the early 1930s, the Grange had a competitive drill team. Maybell Robinson took on the duties as its speech coach, and her husband Wayne coached the marching end of instruction. The Lorane team won the Lane County title in about 1933. Once a year, in the spring, the Grange members turned out with hoes, pitchforks, scythes, buckets and scrub brushes to give the Grange building and grounds a thorough clean-up. The Hall evidently was a good spot for movies, because during the years of World War II, according to Shorty Keep, movies were shown, once again, in the Grange. Speakers were set out on the porch and the audio could be heard all over the valley. One didn't even need to leave home to at least listen to the show! That practice was revived in later years by Joey Blum who headed up the current Lorane Film Society which, currently has been taken on by the Lorane Rural Art Center.

Grange Masters through the years were as follows: D.B. Cartwright (1873); John R. Cartwright (1880); W.I. Coleman (1881, 1893); Martin Wingard (1885); Wm. M. Inman (1894); Philetus F. Davis (1895-1896, 1899-1900); W.B. Hawley (1898, 1909); S.G. Lockwood (1901, 1902); John O'Brien (1903-1905, 1908); J. Atkinson (1906); J. A.J. Crow (1907); Charles Miller (1910-1911, 1915-1916); E.E. Farman (1912-1913, 1922, 1929); Oral E. Crowe (1914, 1918-1919); Edward Worthington (1917); Hugh Mathews (1920, 1923-1924); E.R. Crowe (1921, 1925-1928); Ethel Lynch (1930); William Moore (1931); John Skelton (1932, 1935); Ralph King (1933); John Dunn (1934); H.A. Mitchell (1936); Joe Dolan (1937); Tom Keens (1938); L.S. Dey (1939); Lyle Conrad (1940); J. Mark Allender (1941); Bob Philson (1942-1943, 1955-1957, 1959-1960); Dan Warnock (1944); Charles B. Mitchell (1945); Guy Elmore (1946); Harold Foster (1946); Dolph Dillon (1947); Horace Taylor (1948); Calvin Brown (1949); Paul Estergard (1950); Herb Miller (1951); Art Kragenbrink (1952-1953, 1964); James Kotrc (1954); Fred Coleman (1958); Walt Paseman (1961-1963, 1972); Eldon Thompson (1965, 1968-1970); Joe Brewer (1966-1967, 1971, 1979, 1982); Claude Payne (1973-1974); Gary Thompson (1975-1976, 1980-1981, 1985-1986, 1992-1993, 1997, 2006); Mike Jenks (1977-1978, 1988, 1990-1991, 1996); Bob Hing (1983-1984, 1987, 1989); Randy Eshleman (1994-1995, 2004-2005); Larry Moore 1998-2000); and Bruce McDonald.(2001-2003). From Sawdust and Cider to Wine by Patricia Ann Edwards, Nancy O'Hearn and Marna Hing