The Whallonsburg Grange Hall was built by Grange PoH Chapter 954 in 1915. It was used for Grange functions and meetings for decades and is a part of the memories of hundreds of residents of the region who attended dances, weddings, receptions, suppers and other events here. From the mid-1980s, the Grange chapter had difficulty managing the costs of running and repairing the building and by the 1990s it was no longer viable as an event location. In 2006, ownership was transferred to the Town of Essex and a new chapter in its life began.
The Grange Hall is managed by the Whallonsburg CIvic Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit through an agreement with the Town. Beginning in 2008, a hugely successful effort by volunteers from all over the Champlain Valley has been responsible for the restoration and renovation of this historic building into a NEW center for the community. Thousands of hours of volunteer labor and tens of thousands of dollars was raised by the WCA to install new electrical, plumbing and sanitary systems, build a community kitchen, install a state-of-the-art audio system, renovate the ground floor into a multi-purpose dining room, and lots of other upgrades.
The building is now one of the "destinations" in the region for films, music, theater, lectures and other community events. The certified commercial kitchen is available for food producers, canners, farms and community projects of all kinds. There is a bright future ahead for the Grange. Come be a part of it!
The Whallonsburg Civic Association Board of Directors, 2013
Andy Buchanan, President •
David Reuther, Vice-President •
Mary Burke, Secretary • Steven Engelhart, Treasurer •
Mary-Nell Bockman • Ted Cornell • Laurie Davis • Jim LaForest • Arlene Mason •
Clay Reaser • Kathy Scott • Sharp Swan • Andy Wekin • Jori Wekin
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