Historic Grange Will Hold Open House
Pilot Hill Grange Master Joe White.
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A sketch of the original Pilot Hill Grange, built in 1870.
COOL, CALIFORNIA, September 12, 2007 --- Protected from the years, the collection of scrapbooks, proclamations, satin prize ribbons, and instruments of ritual and regalia pose behind the glass, mementos and relics of the past, and from a time when life was simpler, work was harder, and community meant everything.
The keys can’t be found. The locks must be picked to access the contents inside the old wooden display cases.
“It’s been quite a few years since we’ve opened these,” explains Joe White, Master of the historic Pilot Hill Grange #1, the first in California, established in August, 1870. James Marshall was a founding member, following years of notoriety as the man who discovered gold at Coloma in 1848.
The Pilot Hill Grange #1 will hold an Open House, September 22, from 10:00am – 2:00pm, with tours, free hot dogs and sodas, fun and games for the family, and music. The Grange is located two miles east of Cool on Highway 193.
Joe carefully turns the pages of the old scrapbooks. Photos and news clippings bring him a melancholy smile. In 1946, his father, William White helped construct a new building to house the Grange that is still in use today.
The Grange was moved from its original location to Cool but still maintains the name Pilot Hill Grange #1. A stone monument with a bronze plaque commemorates the original site, as California Historical Landmark #551.
At it’s peak in the 1940’s and 50’s, the Pilot Hill Grange boasted close to 200 members. Like so many fraternal organizations, it fell on less enthusiastic times. Joe has seen the changes take place over the sixty years since he’s been a member.
“You’ve got your TV, your computers, and your internet. It’s hard to compete for people’s attention,” says Joe White, explaining the difficulty of keeping-up a viable membership.
The Pilot Hill Grange #1 was founded at a time when riches in the gold fields were running out and prospectors were turning in picks and shovels for plows and seed. Granges rose up in communities across California to support the common interests of farmers and ranchers. Today, there are 10,000 Grange members in California in 185 communities across the State and, just as it did 140 years ago, the Grange continues to support farmers and ranchers with vigorous legislative efforts in Sacramento.
In an effort to rekindle community interest and build membership, the Pilot Hill Grange #1 will hold an open house September 22, from 10:00am – 2:00pm, with tours, free hot dogs and sodas, fun and games for the family, and music. The Pilot Hill Grange is located two miles east of Cool on Highway 193. For more information, phone (530) 644-5701.