Newaukum Grange

03/17/2026

This event is open to the public, please join us.

03/13/2026

Article taken from The Chronicle on March 12, 2026
Jacob Moore/[email protected]
photo by Otto Rabe/[email protected]

Lifelong Lewis County resident Irene Tripp celebrated 90 years as a grange member this week, making her the longest serving grange member in the state and possibly the only 90-year grange member in state history.

Tripp celebrated the anniversary surrounded by family and many other grange members at the South Creek Post Acute facility in Centralia Tuesday afternoon. Tripp, who was born to a family of lifelong grangers, has been a member of the Newaukum Grange since she was a child. She has gone on to pass that tradition down to at least four generations, all grangers, who celebrated the 90-year anniversary with her.

Washington State Grange President Tom Gwin, a 50-year granger and member of the Humptulips Grange north of Hoquiam and Aberdeen, also made the trip to Centralia to award Tripp with an official certificate honoring her anniversary.

While Gwin says they can’t be 100% certain, he and the state grange believe Tripp may be the first ever 90-year member in the history of the Washington State Grange, which was first founded in 1889, two months before Washington gained statehood.

“We think this is the first one ever in our state,” Gwin said. “I did four 80-years last year, but we’ve never had a 90.”

Maybe even more impressive is Tripp’s longevity. The longest granger in the state is currently 102 and, according to her family, will turn 103 in August.

Tripp has been a member of the local Newaukum Grange all her life since she was born to parents Frank and Pearl Miller, who themselves were active grange members and among the earliest members of the Newaukum Grange.

Frank was a well-regarded member of the grange and received the Washington State Grange Leader of the Year Award in 1967, according to a recent state grange proceeding.

Tripp’s late nephew Wayne Miller is also well known in the community. He passed away in 2024 and was a highly regarded member of the state grange, as well.

02/27/2026

08/15/2025

2025 SWWF Newaukum Grange booth

08/15/2025

If you haven't visited the Southwest Washington Fair Newaukum Grange booth in the Grange Building you have just 3 more days. If you have any questions about joining the Newaukum Grange please email [email protected] and we'll be in touch.

04/11/2025

There is a current 76 year member of Newaukum Grange that is in hospice care. The family would very much like to present her with a 75 year pin. These days pins are not purchased but have been replaced with seals. Any Grange that has a 75 year pin that they are willing to part with it would mean the world to her and her family. She is the wife of a past State Deputy.

04/02/2025

Photos taken at our recent recognition dinner.

04/01/2025

Newaukum Grange honors longtime members
One honoree has been a grange member for 89 years

The Newaukum Grange hosted a dinner Thursday, March 13, to recognize and celebrate 38 members of the grange who had reached milestones in their membership. Twenty-one of the honorees were present.

The event was held at the Newaukum Grange Hall in rural Chehalis near Napavine.

The 38 honorees were invited for a spaghetti dinner before being honored for their commitment to the grange.

Those being recognized for their time with the grange have been members for as few as 25 years and as many as 89, like honoree Irene Tripp, who is currently the longest-tenured member of the Newaukum Grange.

Tripp was at one time a member of the Forest Grange, also in Lewis County, and celebrated her 89 years as a grange member with her son, Ted Tripp, who himself was recognized for 60 years of membership.

According to Carolyn Hojem, the Newaukum Grange lecturer and chaplain for the Washington State Grange, it had been more than five years since the Newaukum Grange had a chance to celebrate its members.

She spent time as a member of another grange in Pierce County before returning to the Newaukum Grange.

“I was coming back and stirring the pot, coming back to the grange after 27 years,” Hojem said. “I wanted to make sure that everyone received their recognition because you can tell how much it means to them.”

The grange hall where the dinner was hosted was first built in 1907 to serve the unincorporated community of Newaukum. The Newaukum Grange itself has been around since before 1907, Grange Grand Master Jerry Owens said.

The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry was first founded in 1867. It's a fraternal organization, meaning a club or society founded on a shared interest, and is considered the oldest agricultural advocacy group in the United States, according to the National Grange website.

The organization was once very popular in rural communities and held significant sway in state legislatures. The Washington State Grange is credited for advocating for things like tax reform and the creation of public utility districts in rural areas.

“Generally, and in the past when the Granges were really involved, they were involved in a lot of legislative things,” Owens said. “Being the master was kind of like being one of the county commissioners. Most of the time, the person didn't hold the position for more than a few years.”

Jerry Owens, left, honors Irene Tripp for her 89 years of commitment to the Newaukum Grange.
Courtesy photo
Posted Monday, March 24, 2025 4:38 pm
By Jacob Moore / [email protected]

11/04/2024

Our meeting is always the 2nd Thursday of the month. We enjoy a potluck at 5:30 followed by the meeting at 6:30. Please join us and learn about the Grange, we are more than just a building.