{"nrhp_refnum":"90000722","name":"Grange Hall","other_names":["Somerset Grange #1553"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SR 127/13 S of Beaucoup Cr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Murphysboro","county":"Jackson County","state":"IL","lat":37.81947738400004,"lon":-89.32193590799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-05-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story red brick township and grange hall built in 1912 on a one-acre site in Somerset Township, near Murphysboro, Jackson County, Illinois. W. A. Pittman (also spelled Pitman) was the contractor.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the hall is locally significant under Criterion A for its role in the social and political life of a rural township from 1912 to 1940. It hosted Grange, Farm Bureau and township meetings, elections, 4-H clubs, plays and socials, and was the only public meeting building in the township. It also served as a World War I draft induction center in 1918.","narrative":"Grange Hall is a small, one-story brick meeting house in rural Somerset Township, north of Murphysboro in Jackson County, Illinois. Built in 1912 by contractor W. A. Pittman for about $1,400, it replaced a frame hall on the same site that burned in 1909. The building measures twenty-four by forty feet, with soft red brick walls, a slate hip roof, arched window and door crowns, and an ornate metal ceiling inside. For decades it was the center of community life, hosting Grange and Farm Bureau meetings, township elections and government business, 4-H clubs, school plays, box suppers and family reunions. In 1918 it served as an induction center for World War I draftees. A railroad station and grain scales once stood beside it. The hall was restored in 1988 and remains in use for township business and voting, which supports its local significance in social history from 1912 to 1940.","period_of_significance":"1912-1940","architect_builder":"W. A. Pittman (contractor)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements/Commercial Style","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Restored in 1988; still used for township activities and as a polling place for elections.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.014895-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/33/8930/28893033/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/90000722.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000722/37090eedd6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000722/37090eedd6-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grange_hall_in_Somerset_Township.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grange_hall_in_Somerset_Township.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893033","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grange_Hall_(Murphysboro,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5595651"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/jackson-county/grange-hall-90000722/"}