The Bloomington Chapter, NSDAR, was organized in October 1904 with Anna Cravens Rott as its first chapter regent. One of the chapter’s first major projects was holding a senior party at Indiana University’s commencement to raise funds to furnish a room in the Bloomington Hospital to be named for the DAR. The following year, chapter members held a Christmas fair to finish raising funds to pay for the entirety of the hospital room. For many years the chapter continued to raise money and donate to various causes at the hospital.
In 1908, the chapter hosted the Seventh Annual Indiana State Conference for 100 delegates. From that time to 1924, the chapter raised and donated money to the County Poor Farm, the public library, the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, the William Henry Harrison home, the Valley Forge Memorial, and DAR-supported schools.
In 1939, the Bloomington Chapter, NSDAR, began a commemorative plate project that continued until 1968. The committee was initially chaired by Dr. Agnes Wells. The chapter sold plates, cups, and saucers in three colors from Wedgewood, the British porcelain company. The center medallion on the plates featured a drawing of the Indiana University Memorial Hall which was built in 1922 as the first women’s dormitory on campus. Other buildings were soon added to Memorial Hall, and in 1940 the group of buildings was renamed the Agnes E. Wells Quadrangle for Dr. Wells, a well-known personality in the Indiana University and Bloomington communities.
Between 1944 and 1964, the chapter supported many philanthropic projects both financially and with personal effort. Bloomington Chapter, NSDAR, presented DAR Good Citizenship awards in county schools and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) medals at Indiana University. The chapter also founded the Clear Creek Society of the Children of the American Revolution (C.A.R.) and supported the National Society’s efforts.
From 1964 to 2004, the chapter collected cemetery and genealogical records which became part of the Monroe County Historical Society library. Members researched American Revolutionary War veterans buried in Monroe County, marked Patriot graves and dedicated a plaque to Patriot veterans at the Monroe County Courthouse.
In 2004, the chapter celebrated its 100th anniversary with members and guests. The chapter sponsored a Special Projects Grant that the NSDAR awarded to the History Center to build a period-correct, interactive school room. The chapter also began a project to restore the Alexander Memorial on the Monroe County Courthouse square.
From 2018 to 2020, the chapter participated in the Monroe County Bicentennial Commission to promote numerous events, projects, and printed histories. In 2024, the chapter joined the Indiana State Society, NSDAR, in placing a DAR America 250 Patriots Marker in Rose Hill Cemetery to honor American Revolutionary War Patriots like Andrew Ferguson who resided in Monroe County.
The chapter continues to sponsor lineage workshops at the Monroe County History Center and genealogy room in public libraries. Members participate in grave rededication ceremonies and other commemorative and patriotic events, as well as sponsor the DAR Good Citizens Award and Scholarship Program and the American History Essay Contest for grades five through eight and the Patriots of the American Revolution DAR High School Essay Contest for local students.
All photos courtesy of the Bloomington Chapter, NSDAR and its members.
