Site of the Organization of Lady Washington Chapter, NSDAR
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Lady Washington Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) was organized on November 14, 1899, when 10 of the original 17 organizing members met in the western parlor of the Capitol Hotel (later known as the Rice Hotel) that occupied this site 1882-1911. The chapter was named in honor of Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, wife of George Washington. The chapter was the first established in Houston and the fifth in Texas. The first social function hosted by the chapter was a patriotic reception held in the western parlor of the Capitol Hotel on February 21, 1900. The Lady Washington Chapter founding officers were regent Ella Hutchins Sydnor, vice-regent Lelia L. Crane, recording secretary Mary Botts Fitzgerald, corresponding secretary Margaret Hadley Foster, registrar Bettie Palmer Hutcheson, treasurer Bettie Heath Stuart, and historian Julia Hadley Franklin. These founding members organized and served on many of the social, patriotic, environmental, and educational organizations that helped form today’s Houston and Harris county, including the City Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Houston Public School Art League, and the board of the Houston Lyceum and Carnegie Library. The NSDAR was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and secure America’s future through better education for children. Membership is open to women who descend from a man or woman who served as a sailor, soldier or civil officer, or was a recognized patriot who rendered material aid to the revolution. (2009)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On November 14, 1899, ten organizing members met in the western parlor of the Capitol Hotel — later the Rice Hotel — to found the Lady Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, named for Martha Washington. It was the first DAR chapter in Houston and the fifth in Texas. Its founders went on to help build the city's civic life, from the City Federation of Women's Clubs to the Houston Public School Art League and the Carnegie Library board.
Why it matters
The chapter shows how turn-of-the-century women's patriotic and civic organizations quietly shaped the schools, libraries, and cultural institutions of a growing American city.
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Related people
- · Ella Hutchins Sydnor
- · Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
Themes & tags
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