The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor "who came to reside in an American Colony before 1776, and whose services were rendered during the Colonial Period." The organization has 44 corporate societies and over 15,000 members. The national headquarters is

Dumbarton House Dumbarton House is a Federal style house located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was completed around 1800. Its first occupant was Joseph Nourse, the first Register of the Treasury. Dumbarton House, a federal period hist ...

in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. The executive director since September 2021 is

Carol Cadou Carol Borchert Cadou is an American museum curator and administrator who serves as executive director of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, running the society's headquarters at Dumberton House in Washington, D.C. Life and ...

History

The organization was founded in 1891, shortly after the founding of a similar society, the

Colonial Dames of America The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor who lived in British America from 1607 to 1775, and was of service to the colonies by either holding public office, being in th ...

(CDA). The main difference between the two is that the CDA was created to have a centrally organized structure under the control of the parent Society in New York City. The NSCDA was intended as a federation of State Societies in which each unit had a degree of autonomy. Another society formed around the same time was the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

. Organized following the United States Centennial of 1876 and a Centennial in New York in 1889 (celebrating the Constitution), they built on renewed interest in America's past to work for preservation of historic collections and buildings, and education related to United States history. The NSCDA has been a leader in the field of historic preservation, restoration and the interpretation of historic sites since its New York Society first undertook the preservation of the Van Cortlandt House in 1897. In November 2000, the NSCDA received the prestigious Trustee Emeritus Award for Excellence in the Stewardship of historic sites from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Today 41 diverse properties are owned outright by the Corporate Societies of the NSCDA, 13 additional museum collections are owned by the Dames and 30 more properties receive substantial volunteer and financial support from Dames. The organization includes 44 Corporate Societies with over 15,000 members. The Society headquarters is located at Dumbarton House (pictured below), in Washington, D.C. In addition to its broad based activities in the museum field, the Society sponsors a number of scholarship programs and other historic preservation, patriotic service and educational projects to further the aims and objects of the Society. Historic house museums owned or operated by the NSCDA, include: *

Andrew Low House Juliette Gordon Low Historic District consists of three buildings—the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace (also known as Wayne-Gordon House, First Girl Scout Headquarters, which was the carriage house for the Andrew Low House, converted for use by ...

, Savannah, Georgia * Burgwin-Wright House, Wilmington, North Carolina *

Henry B. Clarke House The Henry B. and Caroline Clarke/Bishop Louis Henry and Margaret Ford House or Clarke-Ford House is a Greek Revival style home, now serving as a house museum in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Built around 1836, it is considered the oldest ex ...

, Chicago, Illinois *

, Washington, DC, the Society's national headquarters *

Governor Stephen Hopkins House The Governor Stephen Hopkins House is a museum and National Historic Landmark at 15 Hopkins Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The house was the home of Stephen Hopkins—a governor of Rhode Island and signatory of the Declaration of Independe ...

, Providence, Rhode Island * Gunston Hall, Mason Neck, Virginia * Haywood Hall, Raleigh, North Carolina *

Old Indian Agency House The Historic Indian Agency House is located in Portage, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The house is located near the Portage Canal. History The house was built by the Federal government of the Un ...

, Portage, Wisconsin (www.agencyhouse.org) * Hoover-Minthorn House, Newberg, Oregon * Liberty Hall, Frankfort, Kentucky *

McElroy Octagon House The McElroy Octagon House, also known as the Colonial Dames Octagon House, is a historic octagonal house now located at 2645 Gough Street at Union Street in the Cow Hollow neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It is listed as a San Franc ...

, San Francisco, California * Plum Grove Historic House, Iowa City, Iowa * Stenton, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *

Ximenez-Fatio House Ximenez-Fatio House Museum is one of the best-preserved and most authentic Second Spanish Period (1783-1821) residential buildings in St. Augustine, Florida. In 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was designated a ...

, St. Augustine, Florida * Mount Clare,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

* McAllister House Museum,

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, located in Wethersfield, Connecticut, is owned and operated by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Connecticut. The museum features three 18th-century houses that sit on their original sites in ...

, Wethersfield, Connecticut * Hotel de Paris Museum, Georgetown, Colorado *

Joel Lane Museum House The Joel Lane House, also known as Wakefield, was built in 1769 and is now a restored historic home and museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is the oldest dwelling in Wake County and contains collections of 18th century artifacts and period fur ...

, Raleigh, North Carolina * Old First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, Wilmington, Delaware * Tate House, Portland, Maine * Moffat-Ladd House, Portsmouth, New Hampshire *

Whitehall Museum House The Whitehall Museum House is the farmhouse modified by Dean George Berkeley, when he lived in the northern section of Newport, Rhode Island that comprises present-day Middletown in 1729–1731, while working to open his planned St Paul's Colle ...

Middletown, Rhode Island Middletown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,075 at the 2020 census. It lies to the south of Portsmouth and to the north of Newport on Aquidneck Island, hence the name "Middletown". History Vari ...

William Hickling Prescott House William Hickling Prescott House, also known as the Headquarters House, is an historic house museum located at 55 Beacon Street on Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the left-hand portion of a double townhouse at 54–55 Beacon Street, ...

, Boston, Massachusetts *

Wilton House Museum Wilton House Museum is a museum in a historic house located in Richmond, Virginia. Wilton was constructed c. 1753 by William Randolph III, son of William Randolph II, of Turkey Island. Wilton was originally the manor house on a tobacco plant ...

, Richmond, Virginia A more complete listing, with links to many of the state societies and their historic properties, is included on the official website.

Notable members

Helen Gilman Noyes Brown Helen Gilman Noyes Brown (October 12, 1867 – December 12, 1942) was an American philanthropist. Brown had a distinguished record of service to New York City. As social worker for years at the Union Settlement of the Upper East Side, her long ...

(1867–1942), philanthropist *

Sarah Johnson Cocke Sarah Johnson Cocke (, Johnson; after first marriage, Hagan; after second marriage, Cocke; February 7, 1865 – January 20, 1944) was an American writer and civic leader. She was also active in several women's clubs. Cocke's works of Southern fic ...

(1865-1944), writer and civic leader *

Mary Hilliard Hinton Mary Hilliard Hinton (June 7, 1869 – January 6, 1961) was an American painter, historian, clubwoman, and anti-suffragist. She was a leader in North Carolina's Anti-suffragism, anti-suffragist movement and an outspoken white supremacist, co-fou ...

(1869–1961), historian and anti-suffragist *

Anne Hazen McFarland Anne Hazen McFarland, M.D. (, McFarland; after first marriage, Cromwell; after second marriage, Sharpe; October 10, 1868 – December 13, 1930) was an American physician and medical journal editor. Early life and education Anne Hazen McFarland wa ...

(1868–1930), physician and medical journal editor *

Lilian Carpenter Streeter Lilian Carpenter Streeter (July 22, 1854 – March 29, 1935) was an American social reformer, organizational founder, clubwoman, and author. She founded the Concord Woman's Club, and the New Hampshire Federation of Woman's Clubs. Having lived in ...

(1854–1935), social reformer * Margaret Anderson Watts (1832–1905), social reformer

References

External links

Official website

Papers, 1975-ca. 1978
Schlesinger Library,

Radcliffe Institute The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...

, Harvard University.
The American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Society Of The Colonial Dames Of America 501(c)(3) organizations Lineage societies Clubs and societies in the United States History of women in the United States Nonpartisan organizations in the United States Organizations established in 1891 Patriotic societies Women's organizations based in the United States Women's clubs in the United States 1891 establishments in the United States

History

Notable members

See also

References

External links