Did You Know?

One of the most renowned photographers of his day, Matthew Brady, captured a group image of the Daughters’ first Continental Congress in 1892. He requested “the privilege of making a photographic group of the Society, to be added to my historical collection of the most eminent people of the world.”

The DAR Hospital Corps certified 1,081 trained nurses for service during the Spanish-American War. DAR later funded pensions for many of these nurses who did not qualify for government pensions.

In 1921, DAR compiled, published and distributed the DAR Manual for Citizenship to American immigrants at Ellis Island and other ports of entry. To date, more than 10 million manuals have been distributed, and it is now exclusively available on the DAR Web site.

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. 

From November 1921 until February 1922, world leaders met in Memorial Continental Hall for the Conference on the Limitation of Armaments, a groundbreaking meeting for peace.

DAR provided materials for sewing, wood and leather work to the immigrants detained for processing on Ellis Island. This helped alleviate the depression and anxiety of these men and women who were strangers in a new land.

The DAR Museum’s collection of American antique quilts, most having identifiable makers, is one of the most historically important collections in the world. The earliest quilt dates from the 1760s, the most recent from 2000.

During World War II, the DAR loaned use of its Washington, DC headquarters building to its neighbor the American Red Cross.

Permanent works of art were commissioned by DAR to adorn the walls and ceilings within the United States 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 U.S. history.

The National Society DAR is one of the largest groups to serve on the Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) National Advisory Board and Executive Committee.

The first major loan exhibition in the DAR Museum was “The Jewish Community in Early America,” which contained items from the collection of John L. Loeb, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to Denmark.  Ambassador Loeb initiated the exhibition to honor his grandmother, Adeline Moses Loeb, a DAR member from New York.

Based on an ongoing 25-plus year DAR research project, the organization has worked to raise awareness of the contributions of African American and American Indian patriots of the Revolutionary War through publications and exhibitions.

Due to its elegance and resemblance to the White House, many popular TV shows, movies and documentaries are filmed at DAR Headquarters.