The Grange in Texas
McGregor, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Grange, also known as the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, was a nonpartisan national organization comprised of farmers to establish economic independence, socialization and greater educational opportunities for families. They garnered political attention and lobbied for the advancement and unity of America's agricultural sector. The first Texas Grange organized at Salado in 1873 under R.A. Baird, a deputy from the national Grange. The Texas State Grange had its headquarters in Dallas, and by 1876 counted membership of 40,000 men, women and children belonging to 1,275 lodges in Texas and Indian Territory (later Oklahoma). Grange members were influential in the state's Constitutional Convention of 1875, where their positions on taxing, railroad regulation and homestead protection were approved. The Grange's lasting legacy was their dedication to improving the public education system. They advocated for the establishment of the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College (later Texas A&M University), the state's first public institution of higher learning. Grange master Archibald J. Rose was chairman of the Texas A&M board of regents from 1888-96. The development of agricultural cooperatives, a member insurance association and publication of Texas Farmer newspaper were also important Grange activities. In 1889, the Texas State Grange Fair Association was successful in the creation of a 400-acre experimental farm and exhibition hall in McGregor. Developed along the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway tracks near Harris Creek, the grounds became the site of annual state fairs, encampments and other gatherings for several years. The Grange continues today but with decreased membership and influence. (2019)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Grange, or Order of Patrons of Husbandry, gave farm families a way to band together for economic strength, education, and political voice. Texas's first chapter organized at Salado in 1873, and within three years the state Grange claimed 40,000 members across 1,275 lodges. Grangers shaped the 1875 Constitutional Convention on taxes, railroad regulation, and homestead protection, championed public education — helping establish Texas A&M — and even ran a 400-acre experimental farm and state fairgrounds at McGregor.
Why it matters
The Grange was the vanguard of American agrarian organizing in the Gilded Age, and in Texas its fingerprints remain on the state constitution and its flagship public university.
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Related people
- · R. A. Baird
- · Archibald J. Rose
Related events
- · Texas Constitutional Convention of 1875
Themes & tags
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