Our story
The Upper Applegate Grange was officially chartered in 1936 in a vertical log building near McKee Bridge, which burned down in September 1955; members worked hard the next two years to build the current Grange, and it was officially open in June 1957. From what I understand, memberships started dwindling at some point until it officially closed its doors, possibly in the late 90’s or early 2000’s (I’m sure someone will correct me). There was a brief revival in the twenty teens followed by several years of dormancy. We have recently received the official charter signed by the National Grange Master that recognizes Upper Applegate Grange #839 as an official legal Grange once again. We are so excited to display our Charter Certificate in the hall.
As I write this article, the Upper Applegate Grange has been officially reorganized for almost eight months. It was a lot of work getting the building useable again as it had been sitting empty for several years. We found some mice, a few bats and a couple lizard residents who had decided to start calling the Grange home. After our initial deep clean we held our first event, a rummage sale made possible from your amazing donations, in September 2024 which really helped us get off the ground. We have been able to host several events since then and the building is available for rent through our event schedular, Rebecca Maddox.
The Grange community has been working hard these last several months with outdoor cleanup, backroom organizing and addressing building needs. We upgraded the heating system this past winter which has made that concrete building much cozier for our community gatherings. This spring we have been giving the Grange a little interior face lift and will continue with building upgrades and maintenance as funds allow.
It has been proven that joining a club can significantly benefit your life. You’ll meet new people, improve your overall health and well-being, have access to more community support and embrace a sense of belonging. They say you’ll live longer too.
How can you become a member? Join us at our monthly potluck and meeting to pick up a member form.
If you would like to be added to our Grange email list to stay up to date on events and info, please send us an email. Want to host an event, have ideas for events or learning opportunities? We’d love to hear from you! Follow us on Facebook at Upper Applegate Grange #839. See you at the Grange, Applegater!
By: Allie Parkin for “The Applegater” Summer 2025 issue
Community engagement
If you’d like to be involved and informed on these ventures, please join us at our monthly meetings and potlucks which take place every 2nd Sunday of the month. We enjoy a lovely lunch potluck in the Grange dining hall at 1:00pm then gather for a meeting in the main hall at 2:00pm. This is a great way to develop relationships, and we encourage all members and interested folks to attend.
Programs offered
We’ve hosted a themed Bingo Night every third Saturday of the month since December which has been lots of fun and we plan to keep those going most months. Our first pancake breakfast was in mid-March, it was a huge success, and we plan to host many more. Thanks to several local businesses who donated food and beverages to the Grange for this event; we couldn’t have done it without you.
Join us
How can you become a member? Join us at our monthly potluck and meeting to pick up a member form.
Member dues for the entire year are $65 for individuals and $115 for family.
$50 of each individual membership and $100 of each family membership are sent to the Oregon State Grange as payment for the building and access to Grange benefits. We keep $15 of each membership payment to benefit the Upper Applegate Grange; which will help us maintain the building, provide community events, pay Grange bills, etc.
As a non-profit organization we depend on our fundraising events, membership dues and donations to keep the Grange open and active and we are always accepting monetary donations and new members.
Upper Applegate Grange 