NORTH ANSON – The Anson Grange 88 has been entered in the National Register of Historic Places, according to Earle G. Shettleworth Jr., director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, whose staff prepared the nomination.

The designation indicates that the property has been documented, evaluated and considered worthy of preservation and protection as part of the nation’s cultural heritage.

The gable-fronted Greek Revival style brick structure that houses the Anson Grange is a survivor of North Anson’s mid 19th century architectural fabric. Two fires, in 1863 and 1913, destroyed most of the village’s commercial development and much of its early residential housing as well; however the Grange was spared in both blazes.

The Grange Hall, as it has been known since 1901, was built between 1849 and 1858 as a commercial building, and until its purchase by Anson Grange, it housed a variety of commercial and manufacturing enterprises.

In 1905 a one-and-one-half story wooden ell on the south end of the structure was removed and a new, full-height addition expanded the size of the building. At the same time the interior was redesigned and a large meeting hall was built on the second floor as the primary meeting space for Grange activities.

As with many communities, the Grange serves the educational and social needs of its members and as a resource for the community. Anson Grange was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as an example of 19th century community development and commerce in North Anson and, after 1901, as the location of one of the community’s social institutions.

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