Dorcheat-Bistineau Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution met at the home of Honorary Chapter Regent Cindy Madden for their annual Constitution Week Tea. Mayor Nick Cox wrote a Constitution Week Proclamation for our chapter. Hostesses for the tea were Cara Buie, Cindy Madden, Maggie Salter, and Cindy Walker.
In 1955, the National Society DAR petitioned Congress to dedicate September 17–23 of each year to commemorate Constitution Week. Congress adopted the resolution on August 2, 1956, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into Public Law #915.
Our guest speaker was Jerry Madden, Past President of Galvez Chapter SAR in Shreveport. He gave a presentation about Bernardo de Galvez, whose army routed the British from their forts in the Mississippi Valley, including Baton Rouge and Natchez. This prevented these British troops from being strategically moved up the rivers northward to participate in the war’s final battle at Yorktown.
Chapter Regent Donna Sutton began our meeting with the DAR Opening Ritual, followed by a lighted candle and a moment of silence to remember the victims of 9/11. She presented a PowerPoint to show the projects we participated in this summer.
In June at Minden’s America 250 Celebration, our DAR/SAR Relations Chair Cindy Madden organized a DAR/SAR booth with children’s activities and information about DAR. Activities included secret codes and writing with invisible ink. Also to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, Donna Sutton who is also our chapter Lineage Research Chair spent several months researching each of our 57 chapter members’ patriot ancestors. She wrote a short biography of each patriot and had all of the biographies printed into commemorative booklets, which are being distributed as gifts to our members.
On the 4th of July, Donna Sutton and our Historic Preservation Chair Mary Claire Kettler participated in the Mt. Lebanon Historical Society’s Annual Flag Raising Ceremony. They presented 11 veterans with certificates and America 250 challenge coins.
DAR State Workshop took place in August in Baton Rouge. Our Chapter Regent was unable to attend this year, but she sent some things to donate on behalf of our chapter. For a state recycling project, she donated prescription medication bottles to use to make mini first aid kits, and eyeglasses to the DAR’s Lions Club donation box. Louisiana DAR collected over 300 pairs of glasses.
Also in August, Donna Sutton and Jessica Gorman, director of the Dorcheat Museum and a board member of our chapter, wrote and received a DAR America 250 Grant from the National Society DAR. The money was used to make a Revolutionary War display at the Dorcheat Musuem. The display includes mannequins in Revolutionary War costumes, a large vertical banner on a portable stand that lists the names of all of our current members’ patriot ancestors, information about each of the patriots, and information about three Revolutionary War soldiers who are buried in Northwest Louisiana. The display was unveiled at an Open House at the museum.
After closing the meeting, our chapter members filled out Christmas cards to send to an organization called Military Missions in Lexington, Kentucky. This is a nonprofit organization that sends cards and care packages to U.S. soldiers around the world. They have a website and a Facebook page with more information.
DAR is a volunteer organization dedicated to education, patriotism, and historic preservation. Any woman age 18 years or older who can prove lineal, bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence from Great Britain during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) is eligible to join DAR. For more information, contact us at [email protected]