Bill Text: VA HJR363 | 2016 | Regular Session | Enrolled

Virginia House Joint Resolution 363 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Commending the Great Falls Grange.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)

Status: (Passed) 2016-03-10 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ363ER) [HJR363 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2016-HJR363-Enrolled.html

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 363 Commending the Great Falls Grange.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 4, 2016 Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2016

WHEREAS, the historic Great Falls Grange, which has been a public assembly hall for more than 85 years, was recently renovated, making the attractive and historic building more easily accessible to members of the Great Falls community and others who wish to meet there; and

WHEREAS, the handsome Craftsman-style structure was built in 1929 by the Great Falls chapter of the Fraternal Order of Husbandry, a family and community nonprofit organization with its roots in agriculture; and

WHEREAS, the Great Falls Grange fraternal organization was established in 1920; in its early years, the members met in the loft of a local sawmill and later at the Forestville Schoolhouse as they raised money to buy land and erect a meeting hall; and

WHEREAS, when the Great Falls Grange was constructed, Fairfax County was quite rural and dairy farming was the major form of agriculture; the Great Falls Grange was one of five grange halls built to serve farming families in the county; and

WHEREAS, the Great Falls Grange was built for $12,500 and is the last standing unaltered grange hall in the Commonwealth; membership in the fraternal organization declined as agriculture gave way to suburban development, and the grange hall was sold to the Fairfax County Park Authority in 1981; and

WHEREAS, throughout its life, the Great Falls Grange has been the site of many private and community gatherings; the building features a naturally lit upstairs room with a bead board ceiling and wainscoting and a raised stage at one end; and

WHEREAS, the first floor of the Great Falls Grange includes a large country kitchen along with an office area and a meeting room; among recent additions to the building are a wheelchair lift, an accessible bathroom, electrical upgrades, and exterior modifications; and

WHEREAS, Great Falls Grange is listed on the Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites and other state and national historic site registries; the improvements made to the building respected the hall's historic nature; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Great Falls Grange for its recent renovation and for being an enduring symbol of community involvement and progress; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Kirk Kincannon, director of the Fairfax County Park Authority, as an expression of the General Assembly's respect and admiration for the authority's work to preserve the historic Great Falls Grange and make it an accessible gathering place for the residents of Fairfax County.