DAR Headquarters will be closed from March 16 to March 20. We will reopen on March 21. 

DAR members have participated and continue to participate in an array of projects to help preserve our cultural heritage, including:

Commemorations and Memorials
  • World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C.: DAR contributed more than $500,000 toward the construction of this memorial on the National Mall.
  • Women in Military Service Memorial, Arlington, VA: Conceived by DAR member, General Wilma Vaught, and funded in part by contributions from DAR, this memorial honors all women who have served in the military.
  • United States Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.: Permanent works of art were commissioned by DAR to adorn the walls and ceilings within the Capitol Building. The project, titled "A Bicentennial Tribute to the United States of America," consists of 16 murals, 32 vignettes, and 16 medallion portraits depicting historic events in US history.
  • Monuments: People and events throughout America's history have been marked by DAR with monuments of all sizes, including a monument to George Washington's mother, statues of Washington and Lafayette donated to the people of France, and a monument to the martyrs of a British prison ship.
  • Trail Monuments: To commemorate the sacrifices of the pioneer women who blazed the trails to the West, DAR marked 12 sites across the country with a series of Madonna of the Trail monuments. Various other important routes have been identified and marked including the Santa Fe Trail, the Natchez Trace, the California Trail, the Washington-Rochambeau Route, and the Oregon Trail.
  • Valley Forge Memorial Bell Tower, Valley Forge, PA: DAR erected a memorial bell tower at the Washington Memorial Chapel in the heart of the Valley Forge National Park. The tower houses a carillon of 80 bells. Dedications and memorial plaques honoring America's military cover the interior of the tower.
  • Vietnam War Commemoration: DAR is a commemorative partner with the United States of America Vietnam War 50th Anniversary Commemoration, established by Congress, to "thank and honor veterans of the Vietnam War, including personnel who were held as prisoners of war (POW) or listed as missing in action (MIA), for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States and to thank and honor the families of these veterans."
  • Each year DAR members commemorate important historical events in their local communities throughout the country.

Major Restorations
  • Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA: DAR contributed $200,000 to the restoration of this historic site. The furnishings for the Governor's Council Chamber and the Committee of the Assembly's Room on the second floor are authentic 18th century pieces. In addition, DAR established the Rose Garden at Independence Hall.
  • Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, New York, NY: DAR gave in excess of $750,000 to the restoration of these symbols of freedom.
  • Historic Homes and other Revolutionary-Era Sites: Across the country, DAR members contribute their time and money to restore hundreds of historic locations. In addition to National Society projects, many state organizations and local chapters own and maintain local historical sites.

Preservation Projects
  • DAR Forests: DAR raised thousands of dollars to assist in the re-forestation project of the U.S. Forestry Service during the 1940s.
  • Cemeteries and Grave Sites: DAR members locate, restore, and mark thousands of patriot gravesites and headstones throughout the United States.
  • DAR Historic Sites and Properties Database: DAR chapters all over the world own, operate and maintain a variety of historic sites and properties. Browse through them and learn more in the database.

DAR Headquarters
  • BuildingsThe National Headquarters buildings (Memorial Continental Hall, Constitution Hall and the Administration Building) are continuously under-going historic restoration project to keep the buildings functioning and up to historic presevation standards.
  • Genealogical Records: These records are digitized and provided to the public through the Genealogical Research System (GRS). The GRS is a collection of databases that provide access to the many materials amassed by the DAR since its founding in 1890.
  • Artifacts: The DAR Museum has a collection of over 30,000 artifacts. The Museum preserves and exhibits objects made and used by Americans prior to the industrial revolution. Decorative arts are the primary focus of the museum, which has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums for over 4 decades. 
  • Historical Documents: The Americana Collection offers more than 4,000 diverse American imprints and manuscripts. The focus of the collection is on Colonial America, the Revolutionary War Era, and the early Republic, but the breadth of the collection spans five centuries. This collection is being digitized to preserve it for future generations.

Awards
  • Historic Preservation Medal: The Historic Preservation Medal recognizes and honors a person who has done extraordinary work over a long period of time in establishing a historic district, preserving a local landmark, restoring or preserving objects of historic cultural significance, or establishing or participating in oral history projects, youth leadership and education, as it pertains to historic preservation, at the regional, state, and/or national level.
  • Historic Preservation Recognition Award: The Historic Preservation Recognition Award recognizes and honors an individual or group that has done recent remarkable volunteer work at the community level. The award recognizes achievements in all areas of historic preservation: buildings, landmarks, monuments, cemeteries, historic districts, statues, museum collections, manuscripts, documents, and archival materials. It also includes writing or compiling and publishing books on historic preservation projects, historical properties, genealogical and court house records, and photography collections; as well as compiling oral histories; and serving as historical guides, interpreters or docents.

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Giving to the DAR

What Our Founders Built, We Must Preserve

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The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

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Upcoming Events

  • Esther Perel
    - 8:00 PM
  • Heilung
    - 8:00 PM
  • John Mellencamp
    - 8:00 PM
  • Saturday Morning Cartoons
  • Women’s History Costume Party
  • Crystal Bowl Sound Bath

Learn how DAR members selflessly and tirelessly dedicated themselves to the war relief effort of World War I

Find special initiative opportunities for every interest and every budget!