Ellis Meredith Chapter, NSDAR

01/12/2026

On This Day: January 11, 1908 — Roosevelt Protects the Grand Canyon
On this day in 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt used the power of the Antiquities Act to declare the Grand Canyon a national monument—protecting over 800,000 acres from mining, development, and private exploitation.
Though not yet a national park (that would come in 1919), Roosevelt’s bold action ensured one of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in North America would be preserved for future generations.
🌄 He had visited the canyon in 1903 and stood at the South Rim in wonder. His words from that trip endure as some of the most iconic in American conservation history:
“Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.”
— Theodore Roosevelt, Grand Canyon, May 6, 1903
Roosevelt’s designation of the Grand Canyon was part of a much larger vision. During his presidency, he protected over 230 million acres of public land, established 5 national parks, 18 national monuments, and 150 national forests. He transformed conservation into a core presidential priority.
His visit to the canyon, and the words he left behind, reflected both awe and urgency: this was not just scenery — it was a national inheritance, and it needed a fierce protector.
Today, the Grand Canyon is one of the most visited natural wonders in the world, and its protection stands as a towering legacy of Roosevelt’s belief that “the nation behaves well if it treats its natural resources as assets…”

01/07/2026

12/25/2025

A stranger walked into a dying colony and spoke their language. What happened next saved them all.

Imagine you're starving, sick, and terrified in a strange land. Half your people are dead. Then one day, a Native leader strolls into your camp and casually asks for beer... in perfect English. This stunning moment in March 1621 wasn't just surprising. It was the beginning of an alliance that would determine whether Plymouth Colony lived or died.

12/08/2025

KDS (Kate Duncan School) supported by DAR through the Boxtops App. Get it on your phone and just scan your grocery receipts to support them!

12/04/2025

4 DECEMBER 1783 – WASHINGTON BIDS FAREWELL TO HIS OFFICERS
After leading the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War, on 4 December 1783 General George Washington announced to his officers and staff that he intended to resign his commission and return to civilian life in an emotional farewell.
Although the Continental Army had won the final major battle of the war at Yorktown in 1781, peace negotiations with Britain continued for another two years, and British troops continued to occupy strategic military and commercial locations like New York City.
Upon the final evacuation of British troops from New York City on 25 November 1783, Continental Army troops entered the city and participated in a city-wide celebration of victory. Shortly thereafter, on 4 December, Washington convened his officers in the Long Room at Fraunces Tavern for one final meeting.

11/26/2025

Holiday Sale for Genealogy Lovers! 🎁
DAR’s Genealogical Education Program (GEP) courses are now BUY ONE, GET ONE 50% OFF through Jan 1, 2026! Perfect for anyone looking to sharpen genealogy skills—from beginners to experienced researchers.
📝 Courses include genealogy basics, DNA for DAR applications, advanced problem-solving, EApps, supplemental applications, and more. https://www.dar.org/members/applications-supplementals/genealogy-education-programs-gep
(GEP 6 is free for registrars!)
Learn more here: https://nsdar.myshopify.com/blogs/news/winter-2025-sale
Treat yourself to the gift of discovery this season! 🎄✨

The Daughters of the American Revolution is an organization with a deeply rich history while also being truly relevant in today’s world. More than 930,000 women have joined the organization since it was founded close to 125 years ago.

11/22/2025

Choose and school and scan -- it's easy and our DAR schools benefit

11/22/2025

Happy Birthday Abigail Smith Adams! Abigail was born on November 22, 1744 in North Weymouth, Massachusetts.
The second first lady lived in her birthplace for the first 20 years of her life. Education was important to her and her father, Reverend Smith, who regularly taught boys who were going to attend Harvard University subjects like law, ministry, and medicine at the home.
Her mother taught Abigail how to read and write, and Abigail would later read from her father’s many books in the study’s library. She and President John Adams left to make a life of their own after exchanging vows at the home in 1764.
Pictured is a statue of Abigail and son John Quincy Adams located in Quincy, Massachusetts and her birthplace home that was recently renovated.

11/21/2025

250 years ago this week, Henry Knox, a 25-year-old bookseller turned Continental Army colonel, departed from Boston on one of the most daring logistical missions of the American Revolution. His task was a near-impossible feat: travel to American-held Fort Ticonderoga, retrieve its captured British artillery, and haul the guns nearly 300 miles back to the American siege lines around Boston.
Over the next two months, Knox and his men would engineer one of the great early triumphs of the war. Battling snow, ice, freezing rivers, and rugged wilderness, they successfully transported 59 pieces of heavy artillery—mortars, howitzers, and massive cannons—on sleds drawn by teams of oxen.
Gen. George Washington called the achievement “a prodigious undertaking,” and it proved decisive. When the guns arrived in Boston in early 1776, they were emplaced on the heights surrounding the city, forcing the British to evacuate Boston in March. Knox’s successful journey was a testament to the ingenuity, endurance, and resolve of the fledgling Continental Army in the early stages of their fight for independence.