Pymatuning Chapter History

Pymatuning Chapter, NSDAR, was officially organized February 25, 1920, in Sharon, PA, when Mrs. Anthony Wayne Cook, Vice President General of DAR, and a member from Pennsylvania, came to install the officers, which included Organizing Regent Helen Flemming Reed. However, our application for a charter was not submitted until April 29, 1921, due to the inability to secure parchment skins for the charter.

The chapter's name is that of an authenticated Indian chieftain of the area. The Lenni Lenape or Delaware Indians inhabited most of Pennsylvania when the white man came. Pymatuning or “Pihmtomink,” is thought to have been a Delaware chief; the name means “a place where the man with the crooked mouth lived."

The chapter has always worked to promote the objectives of the NSDAR: Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism.

To preserve American History, chapter members have contributed to the DAR Constitution Hall (Washington, DC), Valley Forge National Historical Park, and the "Madonna of the Trail" statues along the National Old Trails Road in twelve states (the statues honor the spirit of the pioneer mothers who traveled westward). Another preservation/conservation project was Penny Pines, a Reforestation Program sponsored by the National Garden Clubs, Inc., in coordination with the U.S. Forestry Service. Throughout the U.S., pine trees were purchased for a penny each and planted by the CCC around 1939. The PSSDAR recently rededicated Pennsylvania’s Memorial Forest near Tidioute in the Allegheny National Forest.

Locally, the chapter has assisted in placing historical memorial markers on the graves of daughters of American Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Sharon, PA: In July 1981, a Real Daughter marker was placed on the grave of Anne Hartford Titus Blackstone, daughter of Revolutionary war soldier Matthew Hartford, in conjunction with Mrs. Warren, a descendant of Matthew Hartford, who was Regent of Valley Forge Chapter, NSDAR, at that time, and later a member of Pymatuning Chapter. In May 2011, another Real Daughter marker was placed on the grave of Terressa Quimby Carver, daughter of Revolutionary War soldier Samuel Quimby (also buried at Oakwood Cemetery), in conjunction with Pittsburgh Chapter, NSDAR, where Mrs. Carver was a member.

To promote patriotism during World War II, chapter members supported the war effort by donating to war fund drives, serving as USO senior hostesses at Camp Reynolds, and canteen hostesses at the local USO center, knitting and sewing articles for service members through the Red Cross, taking charge of the war stamp booth at Woolworth's, and serving at blood banks as aides and donors. We continue to promote patriotism by honoring and supporting our military and veterans in 2015, we participated in the Veterans' Day program at Orr Auditorium, Westminster College, New Wilmington, by presenting certificates of appreciation to Vietnam War veterans in attendance. We are a commemorative partner with the Vietnam War Commemoration. We also participate in Shenango Valley Veterans Day Parade, Wreaths Across America ceremonies, Armed Forces Day, and Sharon’s Memorial Day Parade.

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Preservation and Patriotism go hand in hand through many activities. We have adopted the maintenance of Veterans Memorial Garden, Sharon, at the triangle created by East State St & Silver St across from Daffin's Candies, where we pick up litter, mulch, weed, and prune the plants. Recently we helped clean up Grove City Memorial Park and cleaned the stone memorial monument there. We’ve donated to the DAR Pathway of the Patriots, located along the Schuylkill River Trail, Philadelphia; in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the USA, 250 trees will be planted along the trail, each to be named in memory of a Revolutionary War Patriot.

We also salvage last year’s flags from veterans’ graves following Memorial Day – we fold and package these with a memorial poem and pass them out at various events.

The chapter remains active in the community, securing America’s future through better education for children. Each April we 'present outstanding local high school seniors with the DAR Good Citizens Award during a tea at the Hermitage Historical House. We support the various DAR schools by collecting Box Tops for education that can be exchanged for needed items. One such school is Tamassee DAR School, a non-profit children's home & family help service organization, providing a place of hope, healing & learning for children in need.

Pymatuning Chapter, NSDAR, is proud of its past, and looking toward the future with delight and anticipation.