BETHEL – An exhibit, “To Improve the Farmer’s Lot: The Grange in Maine,” opened on July 1 at Bethel Historical Society’s Regional History Center’s Dr. Moses Mason House Exhibit Hall, with Maine State Grange Master James Owens cutting the ribbon.

Consisting of interpretive panels, photos and glass cases containing artifacts relating to Grange history, the exhibit provides a glimpse of the record of the organization, which has played a significant role in Maine’s past.

For more than a century, beginning in the 1870s, the Grange numbered more than 50,000 members in more than 400 locations throughout the state. Active on behalf of rural residents, the Grange became an advocate in the Maine Legislature where many of its members served to gain improvements in rural education and reform of the tax system to make it more equitable.

It also established its own mutual aid program and cooperative stores. The Grange also attempted to regulate railroads, banks and insurance companies, which did not always (at least from the Grange point of view) have the farmer’s best interest in mind.

The order was committed to improving Maine agriculture through more emphasis on scientific farming. It provided adult education opportunities for many farm families until the emergence of the Extension Service in 1914.

In addition, the Grange started the first lending library in many towns. As the first major organization to grant women equal rights in 1867, the Grange provide an opportunity for rural females to escape the farm home and take advantage of the educational and social aspects of the organization.

The exhibit is free and open to all from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday through Labor Day and by appointment throughout the year until May 31, 2010.

For more information about the society and its activities, call 824-2908 or 800-824-2910, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.bethelhistorical.org.