Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Industry & Commerce, People

Location

693 Stevenson Rd, Rensselaer Falls, NY 13680, USA

Lat/Long

44.550822, -75.34767

Grant Recipient

Town of De Kalb

Kendrew Grange of St. Lawrence County, New York, was incorporated on March 21, 1900. According to the April 3, 1900 issue of the Norwood News, local leaders in the movement to establish the Kendrew Grange included S.C. Kendrew, Charles Wells, Silas Cline, and Samuel Newcomb. In 1900, a grange hall with a store was built and completed by October of that year. The lower floor of the two-story building was used for the store with the upper floor used as the hall.

By 1903, the Kendrew Grange was reported to have over 200 members (Potato Growers’ Journal, February 25, 1903). The growth in membership eventually led to the need to expand the hall building. In 1917, expansion of the hall started with an addition to the building completed and dedicated the following year.

The grange continued to serve the surrounding agricultural community as a hub of social and commercial activity. The following description of Kendrew Grange was included in an advertisement for their annual harvest picnic published in the August 7, 1920 issue of the Watertown Daily Times:

“The membership of Kendrew grange is made up of all ages, but none without that genial smile and natural good humor which always contributes to much a social and fraternal gathering where the old grow young and the young never grow old.”

As of 2023, Kendrew Grange has been in continuous operation for 123 years. Their hall is considered a landmark by this rural community.