the land for the project, and the motion carried. On March 25, 1881, Grange #512 members met to cut pine wood from a nearby forest. The men hauled the wood to George Haskell's sawmill near Typo Lake, where they cut it into lumber for building. Construction began in earnest at township 33, range 22, section 4 of Anoka County on the first Saturday in June. Over the summer, members absent from the project were fined one dollar. During this period, the original architectural plans were modified to include sufficient kitchen space. Crescent Grange Hall #512 held its first formal celebration on July 4, 1882, but work on the structure continued until 1884. The one-story, structure is capped by a gabled roof with clapboard siding. The interior contains a meeting room, an auditorium, and a kitchen. In 1916, further embellishments to the hall made by Grange member W.W. Wittig created alcoves on each of side of the building. The front alcove began to serve as an entrance; the one in the rear contained decorative stained glass. Further modifications to save heat and improve acoustics occurred in 1949, when the ceiling was lowered. Use and legacy The hall served as a venue for educating and informing farmers of the best practices in agriculture throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It allowed members to share equipment owned collectively (including a threshing machine and saw) and to use a barn space for both storage and social gatherings for the Granger community. By the turn of the 20th century, the Grange Movement had outlasted the remains of the Farmers' Alliance, a group that called for more explicitly political action and served as a catalyst for the People's Party. See also List of Grange Hall buildings National Register of Historic Places listings in Anoka County, Minnesota References 1881 establishments in Minnesota Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Cultural infrastructure completed in 1882 Grange buildings on the National Register of Historic Places Grange organizations and buildings in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Anoka County, Minnesota