When Jane Barfoot-Hodde joined the Grange in 1931, farms and orchards blossomed all over Orcas Island.
The Grange building in West Sound, now the West Sound Yacht Club, was the center of activity for many families in those days before OPALCO and state ferries, when self-reliance and neighborliness were popular virtues.
Founded in 1857 as the Patrons of Husbandry, the Grange was the first of the so-called “secret societies” to admit women as full members. The tenets of the Grange – Faith in God, Honesty, Patriotism – and the promise that “I will not wrong or defraud a Brother or a Sister, nor will I let it be done,” sworn by all members, spoke powerfully to struggling farmers all over the nation, and are words that Jane still lives by today. This year, 2011, marks Jane Barfoot-Hodde’s 80th Anniversary as a member of The Washington Grange.
The pins, medals, and badges seen in the above photograph of Jane are some of the many awards she has earned in her 80 years of Grange membership. The pins for years of membership range from 30 to 75 – she earns her 80th this year. Jane was Secretary of the local Grange for 33 years, served also as Secretary of the Pomona Grange (County Grange), was honored with the Leadership Award at the state convention in 2006, and has had the distinction of serving as a Special Deputy.
On Saturday, April 16, Grange members from Snohomish County Granges will travel to Friday Harbor to celebrate the reinstatement of San Juan Island Grange #966. To celebrate the occasion, this special degree team will be conferring the first four degrees of the Grange. Actually experiencing the formal degree work first-hand as it has been traditionally conducted for over a century is a powerful and quite beautiful experience, and the celebration is open to all members who can attend. Young farming families today can find a treasure trove of relevant experience and assistance at the Grange, which many may not know. A fun-filled contra dance with a live band and caller will follow the degree work, all in time for a return home on the ferry.
