Chapter Activities and Projects

Historic Preservation and Markers

Dating to the early years of our chapter, marking and preserving historic sites in San Diego have been a key focus for our chapter. To date we have placed over 16 national markers honoring individuals or marking historic locations, including the following with the original dates they were marked:

  • End of the Kearny Trail (December 12, 1920)
  • Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Discovery of California (October 28, 1921)
  • Mission de Alcala, California's First Mission
    (Circa 1933 with San Diego SAR)
  • La Playa Trail, end of Jedediah Smith's trail from the Atlantic to the Pacific
    (February 16, 1934)
  • Old Mission Dam (May 17, 1941)
  • Casa de Lopez (Fall 1956)
  • Juan Bandini Home/Cosmopolitan Hotel
    (March 26, 1960, rededicated April 29, 2012)
  • Casa de Estudillo (Fall 1961)
  • Casa de Pendleton-Lt. George Derby, built the first San Diego dike
    (November 1962 with San Diego SAR)
  • USS Chicago (September 12, 1972)
  • Alonzo Horton "Father of San Diego" (May 16, 1976)
  • Villa Montezuma (December 13, 1980 with District XIV)
  • Hubert Howe Bancroft, Historian (January 30, 1982)
  • Santa Fe Depot (November 16, 1985)
  • Veterans Memorial Center, 50th Anniversary of World War II
    (November 11, 1995, with the California State Society DAR and District XIV)
  • Revolutionary War Patriots at Mt. Soledad (January 2003)

Celebrating America: The Centennial of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition

During the 2013-2015 administration, a key focus was on the celebration of the Centennial of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and the preservation of history surrounding our chapter's original participation in this exciting San Diego event. The exposition began January 1, 1915, and celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal. It was meant to tout San Diego as the first U.S. port of call for ships traveling north after passing westward through the canal. The fair was held in Balboa Park and the San Diego Chapter, NSDAR, and its charter members were directly involved. 


Other Regular San Diego Chapter, NSDAR, Activities and Projects 1915 Pan-California Expo.

  • American History Contest and Promotion
  • Cemetery and Historical Restoration
  • DAR Service for Veterans, La Jolla Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS)
  • Flag Retirement Ceremonies and La Mesa Flag Day Parade
  • Genealogy and Lineage Research
  • DAR Good Citizens and ROTC Awards
  • Literacy Projects
  • Naturalization Ceremonies
  • Project Patriot and Supporting Active-Duty Military
  • Women's Issues: Family, Health and Home
  • Children of the American Revolution (C.A.R.)
  • Native American Awareness
  • Disadvantaged Youth and Promoting Literacy


DAR and National Activities

The National Society supports the Kate Duncan Smith (KDS) DAR School in Alabama. Last year, DAR chapters raised nearly one million dollars to support this and other accredited schools, including:

  • Crossnore School in North Carolina offers a stable, healing environment in a residential group setting for children from families in crisis.

  • Hillside School in Massachusetts is an independent boarding and day school for 80 boys from varied backgrounds who are underachieving or who have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder.

  • Hindman Settlement School, located in Kentucky, specializes in educating students with dyslexic characteristics.

  • Berry College in Georgia is one of the outstanding comprehensive colleges in the South. The college offers fully accredited art, science, and professional programs, as well as specialized graduate programs in education and business administration.

Additionally, the National Society assists in the education of Native American youth through scholarships and support of Bacone College in Oklahoma, and Chemawa Indian School in Oregon.

National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

California State Society Daughters of the American Revolution