Welcome!
The women of Beacon Pole Hill Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR or DAR) are pleased to meet you! We are women ages 18-96, mothers of young children and teens, working in careers full- or part-time, teaching and homeschooling, volunteering, and retired. Our interests include music, gardening, art & crafts, cooking, travel, sewing & quilting, hiking, and more.
What we share in common is an ancestor who was a Revolutionary War Patriot! Who are these Patriots? They are any person -- man, woman, slave, free, any color or nationality -- who contributed to the Revolutionary War effort. Patriots are not only soldiers, but camp cooks, town clerks, providers of food or horses, laundresses, judges, those that took oaths of allegiance, spies, seamstresses, and tax-payers. You may have Patriots hidden in your family tree and we would love to help you find them.
About Our Chapter
Founded in 1932, the Beacon Pole Hill Chapter, NSDAR, was established by a group of women with an enduring commitment to the patriotic ideals of historic preservation and education. Our chapter members come from the northwestern communities in Rhode Island, including Lincoln, Cumberland, Woonsocket, Burrillville, Foster, Gloucester, Smithfield, North Smithfield, and Scituate. However, several of our members live in other parts of the country and anyone is welcome to join our chapter.
Our interesting chapter name derives from the highest point in the town of Cumberland, where a Revolutionary War beacon tower was built to communicate with a series of similar towers in Newport, Providence, and other communities. A young boy would climb to the top of the beacon pole and light a kettle of tar on fire. The flames of the beacon alerted citizens to the movements of the British so they could prepare to defend themselves and provide support to the militia.
We are looking for more women to join us, not only in commemorating the American Revolution, but in a host of other patriotic, preservation, and educational endeavors throughout our northern Rhode Island community and beyond. What are your service interests? There's something for everyone in the DAR!
Email us with questions about becoming a member or for more information about the DAR.
