In 1939, the President General, Mrs. Henry M. Robert, chose the Penny Pine program as one of her Golden Jubilee National Projects. Each state was to have a memorial forest, beginning in 1939 and culminating in 1941 on the NSDAR 50th Anniversary. Each chapter across the country was to pledge, at the very least, one acre of pine seedlings. Five dollars an acre at a penny each equals 500 trees. The Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC), under the supervision of the U.S. Forestry Service, would do the actual work of planting and care.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed the CCC in 1933 to solve two problems. It would offer employment to Americans age 18-26, who were out of work because of the failing economy, and it would help the National Forests that were in deplorable condition due to over-harvesting, devastating fires, and little replanting. The CCC would revitalize our National Forests and employ millions of young people.

With new assistance from the CCC, the National Forest Service started its program of replanting and growing pines in National nurseries throughout the country. These pines would be sold to organizations and individuals for a penny each to help share with the cost of the project - hence the popular term Penny Pines. It was patriotic and popular enough that stores and post offices set up buckets for people to put pennies into, and that's how the NSDAR became involved. Some of the states could not participate due to prolonged droughts in their state and the National Forest Service recommended planting many large trees on private lands.

Read more about the DAR Forests in individual states:

ARIZONA

Many acres of Penny Pines were dedicated as a DAR Forest in 1940.

ARKANSAS

Members in this state dedicated 25 acres and a bronze marker in the White Rock Ranger District of the Ozark National Forest during the term of State Regent Mrs. Charles H. Miller as part of the Arkansas DAR Golden Jubilee Project.  On March 22, 1939, the Centennial Chapter of Little Rock planted 5,000 trees in a 20-acre plot located six miles east of Mount Ida.  The marker is located north of Crawford County Road 38, sadly the brass plaque is missing. The trees that appear in the historical photographs in front and on the east side of the marker are still standing.  The Pine Bluff Chapter planted 4,000 trees in the Arkansas National Forest.

CALIFORNIA

The members dedicated a DAR marker and 50 acres of trees at Charlton Flats on June 18, 1940. Forty-six additional acres were planted in Mendocino National Forest and 1,200 trees were planted in Mt. Ashland watershed and dedicated as a DAR Forest on June 14, 1940.

COLORADO

Sixty acres of Engleman spruce trees were planted in Arapahoe National Forest and dedicated as a DAR Forest on August 27, 1940, in the memory of Mrs. Clarence H. Adams. Additionally, another acre was planted and a DAR Marker placed on a burned area on the mountain side of Berthoud Pass in close proximity to Denver.

CONNECTICUT

Thirty-seven large trees and thousands of seedlings, scrubs, and bulbs were planted in a 50-acre area in Latimer Grove in 1940. The Latimer Family owned property in Salem, CT.  The property was sold in the 1960's, and became a Boy Scout Camp.  Later in the 1980's, the property was broken off and sold again - both residentially and commercially. According to old land records and deeds, it is believed that Latimer's Grove existed in an area now called Gardener's Lake.

DELAWARE

Members of this state dedicated the planting of a DAR Forest of 10,800 Penny Pines on June 3, 1939, in Delaware State Reservation, Sussex County.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

As a part of the NSDAR “Golden Jubilee” project, asked each state to plant a minimum of twenty-five acres of “penny pines”. Since the District of Columbia did not contain such acreage, the Daughters looked in Maryland and Virginia for adequate land. A location was eventually decided on in Virginia. The land is a part of the larger Conway-Robinson Memorial State Forest, located south of the Manassas Battleground. This portion of the Forest has been designated as a long-term growth pine forest for educating college level forestry students. A bronze marker with a slate path and patio surrounding the marker was cleared by the State Regent, Shari Thorne-Sulima, State Conservation Chairman and several other volunteers on October 23, 2010. A re-dedication ceremony is scheduled for the fall of 2011. The GPS coordinates are N 30 deg 49’ 14.6” by W 77 deg 34’ 42.4”.

FLORIDA

The Civil Conservation Corps planted twenty thousand pines in 1939, in the beautiful 25-acre Memorial Forest in Hillsborough River State Park, near Thonotosassa, Florida. A DAR Marker was placed on January 15, 1940, under the direction of State Regent Mrs. T. C. Maguire (Echebucsassa Chapter), and is located in the first Administration Loop, near the Ranger Station.  From 1940 to 2002 the forest was left to grow. The trees lived their life expectancy and eventually the area became overgrown with hard wood. A partnership with the State Park staff and the FSSDAR was formed to accomplish the return to a natural habitat. On 22 February 2003 FSSDAR dedicated its Millennium Forest, THE SILENT SENTINELS, the project of FSSDAR State Regent Mary Lou James.  Florida Daughters submitted the names of Patriot ancestors to be memorialized in the replanting of the original forest. A book listing all of the patriots and contributors was published.  Native trees and shrubs typical of a long leaf pine habitat that would replicate a Florida forest that existed centuries ago were used.

GEORGIA

In 1940, in a 100-acre area known as the Richmond Walton McCurry Memorial Forest on the Chattooga River Ranger District, Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest; 231,650 Penny Pines were planted. The pines actually planted where shortleaf pines of which some still stand today.

ILLINOIS

The Jubilee Project for Illinois was the reforestation of one thousand acres of public land, called 'Illinois Daughters of the American Revolution Golden Jubilee Forest.' The United States Forest Service planted 1,000 trees per acre, at $4 per acre. The trees planted were Short leaf pine, pitch pine, gray ash, black walnut and black locust. In 1939, the acreage was a barren waste land. The forest had been stripped mostly by slash and burn farming methods used by early settlers. The specific DAR 1,000 acres was located at Pounds Hollow in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois and dedicated on October 5, 1940 under State Regent Helen McMackin. During the years 1955-1959 State Regents Mrs. Henry C. Warner and Mrs. Len Young Smith a double wooden sign was hung. For the silver anniversary of the forest, in 1965, State Regent, Mrs. Ralph A. Killey replaced the wooden signs with new ones. A rededication by State Regent Mrs. Albert Trieble, Jr on October 24, 1981 saw the replacement of the missing bronze plaque. The forest was again rededicated on October 20, 1996 by State Regent Rose Mary Orr where a dedicatory wreath was placed at the bronze marker. Today the forest serves many recreational needs; fishing, hiking, picnicking, and camping.

INDIANA

Many Indiana state parks and monuments exist only through the work and contributions of this state's DAR members. In 1940 “Penny Pine Forest” was established in memory of Mary Parke Foster, the third President General and native Hoosier and named the Mary Parke Foster DAR Memorial Forest. After World War II, State Regent Edna Taylor Burns (1916-1949) established a State Memorial Reforestation Project in Crawford County to honor men and women from Indiana who had lost their lives during that war.  On June 25, 1977, in honor of Estella Armstrong O’Byrne, Honorary President General, the “Estella O’Byrne Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary” was dedicated in the Hoosier National Forest. Other locations include the Turkey Run State Park, Shades State Park, Penny Pines Forest in Perry County were a later reforestation project was completed, and the Caroline Scott Harrison Herb Gardens and other landscaping at the President Benjamin Harrison home in Indianapolis.

IOWA

DAR George Washington Memorial Forest, established November 5, 1932 by Iowa State Society. 8,000 trees were planted near Lake View, Iowa.

KENTUCKY

The Kentucky DAR Memorial Forest is 70-acres located 5 ½ miles from Morehead in Rowan County in the Cumberland National Forest. The Forest was dedicated on October 11, 1940 by State Regent Mrs. Frederick A. Wallis with the placement of a bronze marker. Three thousand seven hundred trees, plus shrubs, perennials, and bulbs, were planted. In 2010, the forest became part of the Daniel Boone National Forest and is managed by the United States Forest Service.

LOUISIANA

Two acres of Penny Pines were planted by the DAR State Society in 1940 under State Regent Mrs. Henry M. Robert, Jr. as a part of the NSDAR Golden Jubilee Projects. The planting was performed by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

MARYLAND

In 1940, a bronze marker was dedicated at the thirty-eight acres of Penny Pines planted in a 34-acre grove in Elk Neck Park near Northeast, Maryland.

MASSACHUSETTS

The DAR State Forest is a 1517-acre natural treasure in Goshen, the Berkshire foothills of Western Massachusetts, with miles of biking trails and dirt roads, swimming, and a number of campsites. The forest is on the state map and is managed by the Department of Environmental Management. It was established in 1929 when the Massachusetts State Society DAR donated 1,020 acres to the state.  Almost 750 additional acres have been acquired since then, including the Upper and Lower Highland Lakes. Massachusetts DAR members visit the DAR State Forest in Goshen every year, and provide financial support and donation of equipment.

MICHIGAN

A DAR Forest of 160 acres was planted and a bronze DAR plaque was placed on a large boulder to mark the site in 1939.

MINNESOTA

DAR State Forest was established in 1929 when the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) donated 1,020 acres to the Commonwealth. Almost 750 additional acres have been acquired since then, including Upper and Lower Highland Lakes. The forty-acre Minnesota DAR Memorial State Forest is on the state map located in Pine City in Pine County in the quad known as Askov Lookout Tower.  The forest was dedicated in 1941. Today there is a half-mile road and overnight camping facilities.

MISSISSIPPI

The DAR Forest was planted in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the Chickasawhay District of the De Soto National Forest. This Ranger District is the northern unit of the DeSoto National Forest and known for the Gavin Auto Tour and its vast area of pine plantations in the western portion. The eastern boundary is less than ten miles from Alabama and US Hwy 45, and less than ninety minutes from Mobile. The buildings are the original ones, with the Fire Tower listed on the Fire Tower Registry.

MISSOURI

One hundred thousand trees were planted in a 100-acre area in need of reforestation in 1940. Additionally, the Sara Barton Murphy Chapter planted 40 acres of DAR Forest on US Highway 67. Sarah Barton Murphy Memorial Forest, 100 acres, established in 1940. Rededicated with new sign in 2015. 

NEBRASKA

In 1941, 47 acres of Penny Pines were planted in the only National Forest in Nebraska, near Halsey. The National Forest is a unique hand-planted green island in the middle of the sand hills of central Nebraska commonly known as “Forest in the Sand”.  This area is known as the “Forest in the Sand” because it is located way out west in the Sandhills of Nebraska and shares space with cactus and yucca plants. In 2009 members planted over 255 pine seedlings. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Thirty thousand pines and a bronze marker were dedicated on June 25, 1940, at Bear Brook Park near Pembroke.

NEW JERSEY

Fifty acres and a bronze marker were dedicated as a DAR Forest on October 15, 1940, in Lebanon State Park, now the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in Woodland Township. Trails through the forest allow visitors to enjoy the scenery and biological diversity of the New Jersey Pine Barrens region. This region is the largest surviving open space on the eastern seaboard between the northern forests of Maine and the Everglades of Florida.

NEW MEXICO

Four DAR chapters planted eight thousand trees in 1940 on Hyde Park Road, in Hyde Memorial State Park, eight miles northeast of Santa Fe. The park is located eight miles northeast of Santa Fe, next to the Santa Fe National Forest. Hyde Memorial State Park was named after Benjamin Talbot Hyde. Situated at an elevation of 8,500 feet in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, it is one of the oldest parks in New Mexico. The park is used for recreation, camping, skating, picnicking and sledding.

NEW YORK

The tree planting project for in 1941 took place on the Montgomery Reforestation Area No. 1. The New York Daughters provided the trees and supervised. The New York State Society furnished the funds for the employment of the labor necessary to plant the 125,000 trees on the site. A marker was erected to mark the project and dedicated on October 21, 1940.

NORTH CAROLINA

Fifty thousand trees and two bronze markers were dedicated on May 15, 1940, in the Pisgah Forest which in 1940 was not part of Biltmore. The DAR President General took part in the dedication ceremony.

NORTH DAKOTA

The 1930s Drought prevented North Dakota from establishing a DAR State Forest at that time. On September 22, 2018 the North Dakota State Society State Forest was dedicated at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, North Dakota. Hundreds of trees were donated by the Minishoshe-Mandan Chapter over several years and planted in the cemetery. 

OHIO

This 1940 winter scene of the DAR Marker dedication shows some of the original plantings for the DAR Plantation at the beautiful Mohican-Memorial Forest in Ashland County, midway between Columbus and Cleveland.

OKLAHOMA

DAR Chapters planted Penny Pines and Redbud trees throughout Oklahoma in 1941.

OREGON

A DAR Grove was planted in 1940 at Lythia Park, Ashland Reforestation Project, on Larch Mountain.

PENNSYLVANIA

The Pennsylvania Memorial Forest now consists of 150 acres growing from the original 106 acres and is located outside of Tidioute in the Allegheny National Forest. Seventy-five thousand trees were planted under the direction of State Regent Mrs. Joseph Forney. The memorial forest was planted with 75,000 trees at a cost of $750. Two large dedications were held after the plantings on 25  May 1940 and 21 June 1941. Heather Koech, writer of the 1999 DAR magazine article, 'Do You Know Where Your DAR Forest Is?' found another plot dedicated in 1931 to George Washington in Potter County near Couldersport, Pennsylvania. As of 2002 many of the trees are gone do to thinning of the forest. A plaque was rededicated in 2002.

SOUTH CAROLINA

The South Carolina DAR Forest is marked and located on the Jefferson Davis Highway (US #1) between Camden and Cheraw. Sixty-six thousand five hundred Penny Pines were planted in 1940 on Catawba Indian Reservation in the eastern section of the state.

SOUTH DAKOTA

A 125-acre DAR Forest of Penny Pines was planted in Black Hills in 1940.

TENNESSEE

Thirty-four acres were planted in Cherokee National Forest in 1941.

TEXAS

In 1929 Texas Society DAR acquired by gift and purchase one hundred fifty acres of pine land in Jasper County, near Buna, on Highway 8.  The State Society also maintains the DAR State Forest in the deep Piney Woods area of Southeastern Texas. During the term of State Regent Mrs. Rountree in 1931-1934, there was a donation of 100 acres of forestland in East Texas. Subsequently, the State Society purchased 50 adjoining acres and still owns this land today. The forest was dedicated 31 October 1929 and rededicated 31 October 1995 as a part of the TSDAR Centennial Celebration.

VERMONT

The State Society of Vermont DAR donated the 95-acre park in Addison to the State of Vermont in 1955, but they still operate the adjacent 1765 John Strong Museum. Located along the shores of Lake Champlain, the park offers camping, a small picnic area, boating, fishing, sailing, and swimming. Foundations remain today of the first English settlers in this area about 1765 and are located in the picnic area of the park.

VIRGINIA

Sixty thousand seedling cedars and pines were planted in 1940 in the George Washington National Forest.

WASHINGTON

The Fort Vancouver Chapter planted 3,000 trees in the Columbia National Forest in Vancouver, renamed in 1949 as Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The surviving pine trees are located on the north and south sides of the entrance to the popular Beaver Campground, Wind River Highway, north of Carson, Washington.

WEST VIRGINIA

The West Virginia Daughters had been meeting at the Jackson’s Mill for years when Mr. Kendrick donated the land which was to become the West Virginia Daughters of the American Revolution Memorial where four hundred trees were planted in 1940. An amphitheater was built and dedicated on October 19, 1940.

WISCONSIN

The Brule River State forest was established in 1907 with a land gift from Fredrick Weyerhaeuser’s Nebagmon Lumber Company.  In 1929, the Wisconsin DAR acquired 320 acres near Brule with the financial support of the Ah Da Wa Gam Chapter along with all other daughter chapters of the Wisconsin DAR.  ON September 1, 1930, this tract was dedicated and turned over to the state and is still part of the state forest plan today.  WI DAR financial support continued through the 1930’s and beginning in 1930, 2,000 seeding trees were planted annually at Brule.  In the 1940’s, with the advent of the war, WI DAR focus turned to support of the war effort projects and the WI DAR tract of land was absorbed into the Wisconsin state forest plan.

WYOMING

Wyoming DAR Forest, was established on September 26, 2015 in a combined celebration of the 125^th Anniversary of NSDAR and Wyoming’s 125^th Anniversary of Statehood. The dedication of the planting of 500 white bark pine trees in the Shoshone National Forest near Fish Lake in an effort to reforest 24,000 acre burned area in a 2006 fire.  The Wyoming DAR Forest was sponsored by Freemont Chapter, NSDAR.