Pineland Grange #549 in Latta celebrated Oliver Kelley’s 1866 historic trip down the Pee Dee River in an event on Saturday, July 28.
Kelley wrote during his journey on the river “there were marks of devastation by the cruel hand of war, yet there was a fascination that warmed my heart towards all I met.”
This journey inspired Kelley to organize the nation’s first agricultural society, the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.
The Grange commemorated the trip by conducting an old-fashioned watermelon seed-spitting contest and other activities. Competitors were judged on form, distance and accuracy of their seed spitting.
South Carolina State Grange President Jerry H. Martin II told Grangers the story of the founding and ascent of the South Carolina Grange. He related the connection between the Grange, Free Masons, 4-H Youth Development Organization, and the Future Farmers of America (FFA). Martin discussed how the origin of the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry coincides with Grange history.
Those in attendance heard from a representative of the National Grange, who discussed how the Grange operates nearly 150 years after its founding. Pineland Grange Hall, a refurnished Grange Hall that was used only for secret meetings, is located off the 181 exit on the I-95, one-quarter of a mile toward Latta.
Established in 1867, the National Grange, a nonpartisan, nonprofit fraternal organization, is the oldest agricultural and rural community service organization. With more than 2,100 local chapters, the Grange has evolved into the nation’s leading rural advocacy organization and a major benefactor to local communities. There are more than 160,000 members across the United States. For more information on the National Grange, visit their website at www.nationalgrange.org.