LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79
About this property
La Prairie Grange Hall No. 79, also known as the La Prairie Town Hall, is a historic two-story wooden Grange hall built in 1874 in La Prairie, Rock County, Wisconsin. One of the oldest remaining Grange halls in the U.S., it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry was formed in 1867, a fraternal organization of farmers organized initially to protect them against railroad monopolies. Like Freemasons, the Grange had secret rituals. Unlike the masons, the Grange admitted women the same as men. Over the years their efforts shifted to eliminating middlemen, and advocating free rural mail delivery, and rural electrification. The Grange in La Prairie was organized in 1873 as chapter no. 79. The chapter built their meeting hall the following year. The town of La Prairie provided the land and $700 and the Grange provided the building, with the agreement that the town would "have and own a room... on the first floor and to front on the road." The Grange could use that room as a dining hall when not in use by the town, along with the rest of the building. The building is a simple two-story wooden structure clad in white clapboard and green trim, with a rather low-pitched gable roof. The windows are tall four over four, evenly spaced. Inside, the first story consists of a large meeting room and dining hall in front and kitchen in back. Upstairs, reached by a staircase in the back is the larger hall, used for Grange meetings, dances, and 4-H plays. The walls are covered with the original vertical tongue and groove paneling, crossed by a chair rail. The building cost $1,938.50. Ever since, the local Grange has been a social center in La Prairie, hosting card parties, dancing, church services, educational events, and meetings. In 1960, the town relinquished its ownership interest in the property, but continues to share its use with the Grange, which uses it as its meeting place. Today the La Prairie Grange Hall is the oldest left standing in Wisconsin and one of the oldest in the whole U.S.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79
This page lists LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79 listed on the National Register?
LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 10, 1977.
What type of historic resource is LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79?
LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79 is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79?
The period of significance for LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79 is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79 will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Rock County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Rock County.
Explore RockCounty ›More historic places in Wisconsin
Browse all historic places in Wisconsin.
View Wisconsinhistoric sites ›Wisconsin history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
Wisconsinhistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near LaPrairie Grange Hall No. 79 will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.