HARRISON – The Lakeside Grange 63 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.

Over the years the town of Harrison has slowly lost its agricultural economy, but Lakeside Grange 63, Patrons of Husbandry, continues to maintain a strong and active membership.

Historically and currently, Lakeside Grange is an important structure at the heart of the rural community, having been used for social and commercial functions since its construction in 1905, as well as serving as a publicly-accessible hall for fairs, performances and recreational activities.

The structure that houses the grange is also significant as a building that survived the destructive 1907 fire in which many commercial and public buildings in town were lost. The grange was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in the context of Harrison’s social and commercial history.