GREEN LAKE — The Wisconsin Society Daughters of the American Revolution held its 128th State Conference in Green Lake from May 2-4, at the Heidel House Hotel & Convention Center. There were 225 members and guests that attended the conference.
Award winners (WSDAR Chapters, members, teachers, and students) were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments as contest winners, grant awardees, and completion of DAR Leadership Training Courses. The Society presented awards for Outstanding Teacher of American History, American History Essay Contests, DAR Good Citizen, Outstanding State Member for service to Vietnam Veterans, 50-year memberships, conservation activities, grant recipients from DAR’s Helen Pouch Classroom Grant Funds, women’s issues essays, and outstanding dedication as volunteer genealogists.
Other awards announced which will be presented at NSDAR’s 133rd Continental Congress in June in Washington, D.C. are the NSDAR Excellence in American History Book Award and Historic Preservation Project of the Year.
The NSDAR Excellence in American History Book Award Committee has recognized the Governor Nelson Dewey Chapter (based in Madison) for their nomination of “The Compleat Victory: Saratoga and the American Revolution” by Kevin J. Weddle. This award was created to recognize distinguished historical literary works that have significantly preserved and/or promoted the study of American history.
According to chapter member Sheryl Thies who submitted the book recommendation, “Weddle’s account of the Saratoga campaign offers a very readable and insightful explanation of how the Patriots won and how the British lost this most decisive battle of the Revolutionary War. Not only a significant contribution to military history, but also essential reading for trained historians as well as anyone who would like to know more about this decisive battle.”
Weddle’s book was chosen from many entries received from all over the country.
The Historic Preservation Project of Year Award will be presented by the National Society to the Wisconsin Society for their restoration of the historic property, Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters.
The Surgeons Quarters was constructed circa 1816, known to be the oldest building in Wisconsin on its original foundation. Once a fur trader’s home, the cabin was sold to the Army to use as the quarters for the seven surgeons who served there.
The Wisconsin Daughters purchased the Surgeons Quarters in 1939 for $1,000 when it had fallen in severe disrepair while in private ownership. The property was opened in 1954 as a museum by the Wisconsin Society and is still operated as such today. The restoration project that will be recognized is their $270,000 replacement and repair of tamarack log and chinking on the cabin which was completed in 2023.
The DAR, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children. The National Society is 190,000 members strong with 3,000 chapters in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. More than one million women have joined the DAR since it was founded.
For more information on the Daughters of the American Revolution, contact State Regent Sandra Snow at
snow4wsdar@gmail.com or at 608-844-9545.
