Georgia Magazine - September 2023 - 25

Teresa Howard (second from left) and other DAR members attend the
organization's Georgia State Conference at the Atlanta Evergreen
Lakeside Resort at Stone Mountain Park in April.
Historical preservation
The DAR has helped to research and place many historical
markers around the state.
Chapters also work to restore historical buildings in their
communities.
The Brier Creek Chapter in Sylvania restored the nearby
historic Seaborn Goodall House. According to legend, the house
was spared from a curse levied on the surrounding town by
Lorenzo Dow, a fiery preacher who was sheltered from an angry
mob by the Goodall family. The Screven County house, built
in 1815, was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1977.
In Macon, the Nathaniel Macon Chapter led the rebuilding
of the historic Fort Hawkins blockhouse at the site of the original
frontier fort, which is considered the birthplace of what would
become the city of Macon. The replica of the blockhouse was
built in 1938 and is open to the public.
The DAR Augusta Chapter supports Meadow Garden,
which was the primary residence of George Walton, one of the
youngest signers of the Declaration of Independence. The
Augusta landmark is now a museum.
Patriotism and service
One of the most visible patriotic efforts by DAR members
statewide is participation in Constitution Week each Sept. 17-23.
Members help with school programs and community events such
as the Bells Across America celebrations that mark the signing of
the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787.
Members place flags and participate in Wreaths Across
America events at national cemeteries and help fund Honor Flights,
which fly veterans to Washington, D.C., for a day of expressions of
gratitude for their service.
Members send cards to veterans and ship care packages to
soldiers overseas. Kivette says her chapter has made Socks for
Soldiers toiletry kits for homeless female veterans and helps with
the Veterans Education Career Transition Resource Center at
Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta, which provides
academic transition support for students who are military veterans.
Members of the Fielding Lewis Chapter pose with Peggy Beascoechea
(center), vice president at United Military Care in Marietta, which
supports veterans with basic needs. DAR members had made kits
with socks and toiletry items for homeless female veterans.
Chapters also demonstrate love of country through
conservation efforts, such as participating in community
cleanups and the Great Backyard Bird Count. The Fielding Lewis
Chapter works in the community garden at the Green Meadows
Preserve in Marietta, where it also sponsors a birdhouse on the
Bluebird Trail.
" You start out with genealogy, where you put yourself in
history and see how your family participated in the Revolutionary
War, " says Melissa Tanner, vice regent of the Fielding Lewis
Chapter. " But the biggest thing is being able to give back to your
community and especially working for the things that may have
been forgotten or overlooked. "
Rosalyn Dunn is an Atlanta-based freelance writer.
Get involved
Prospective members can get more information about the
Daughters of the American Revolution and fi nd local chapters at the
Georgia DAR website, georgiastatedar.org.
Men who have a similar love of country and desire to serve
can join the Sons of the American Revolution, which shares the
DAR's goals of promoting history, patriotism and education. The
organization's Georgia Society Color Guard participates in parades,
community events, battle-site observances and grave-marking
ceremonies. There are 35 chapters statewide with a combined
membership of more than 2,000. Learn more at gasocietysar.org.
The Daughters of the American Colonists is a similar service
organization with about 500 members in 15 chapters statewide.
Prospective members must trace their lineage to an ancestor who
rendered patriotic or civil service to the colonies before July 4, 1776.
Learn more at gssdac.org.
The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America promotes
historical preservation, patriotic service and educational projects. In
Georgia, there are about 1,600 members in 17 " town committees. "
Membership is by invitation and is based on lineage from an ancestor
who lived in an American colony and rendered service to the colonies
before July 5, 1776. Learn more at nscdaga.org.
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Georgia Magazine - September 2023

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