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DAR HISTORY
The Founding of DAR

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded on October 11, 1890, during a time that was marked by a revival in patriotism and intense interest in the beginnings of the United States of America. Women felt the desire to express their patriotic feelings and were frustrated by their exclusion from men's organizations formed to perpetuate the memory of ancestors who fought to make this country free and independent. As a result, a group of pioneering women in the nation's capital formed their own organization and the Daughters of the American Revolution has carried the torch of patriotism ever since.

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Over the past 130 years of active service to the nation, DAR objectives have remained the same.

Those objectives are: Historical - to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence; Educational - to carry out the injunction of Washington in his farewell address to the American people, "to promote, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge, thus developing an enlightened public opinion…"; and Patriotic - to cherish, maintain, and extend the institutions of American freedom, to foster true patriotism and love of country, and to aid in securing for mankind all the blessings of liberty.

Since its founding in 1890, DAR has admitted more than 1,000,000 members.

QUICK DAR HISTORY FACTS
  • During the Spanish-American War, DAR purchased a ship's tender for the USS Missouri to be used as a hospital launch for transporting the wounded from shore to ship.
  • To help with the war effort during World War I, DAR loaned its National Headquarters land to the United States. The federal government used the land to erect a temporary war office building that provided office space for 600 people.
  • DAR provided materials for sewing, wood, and leatherwork to the immigrants detained for processing on Ellis Island. This helped to alleviate the depression and anxiety of these men and women who were strangers in a new land.
  • From November 1921 until February 1922, world leaders met in DAR Memorial Continental Hall for the Conference on Limitation of Armaments, a groundbreaking meeting for peace.
  • DAR raised thousands of dollars to assist in the re-forestation project of the U.S. Forestry Service during the 1940s.
  • During World War II, DAR provided 197,000 soldiers with care packages and sponsored all 89 crews of Landing Craft Infantry ships.
  • During World War II, the use of the DAR buildings was given to the American Red Cross. A children's day nursery was set up in the basement of Constitution Hall for enlisted men's wives who had to go to work.
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Learn more about the History of DAR Headquarters

Located in the heart of Washington's most popular tourist attractions, the exquisite buildings of the DAR National Headquarters were prominent structures in downtown D.C. even before some of its better-known neighbors, such as the Jefferson, Vietnam, and World War II memorials. 

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Memorial Continental Hall

Memorial Continental Hall, the oldest building of the DAR complex, was designed in 1905 by prominent Washington architect Edward Pearce Casey, designer of the interior of the Library of Congress. Upon its completion, Memorial Continental Hall was quickly recognized as one of Washington, D.C.’s most elegant buildings.