Missouri Daughters … Preserving History through Historic Preservation

Historic preservation is one of the three primary goals of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Missouri Daughters have been actively involved in marking sites, landmarks, trails, and institutions that represent a significant part of our Missouri history and culture since 1894. These include many historic courthouses and century farms located throughout the “Show Me” state.

Cold Water Cemetery and Roslyn Heights are among the many sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a direct result of the efforts of Missouri Daughters. Other sites and properties include train depots, homes, courthouses, and other institutions.

The historic Ste. Genevieve Academy, the oldest school this side of the Mississippi, was designated by the National Park Service as a national landmark in 1960 and rededicated by the Missouri DAR in 2009.

Roslyn Heights, an elegant Queen Anne style mansion, located in Boonville, Missouri, serves as the Missouri State Society’s headquarters. The home, built by Wilbur T. and Rhoda Stephens Johnson in 1895, was purchased by the Missouri State Society DAR in 1983, and was featured in the November 2012 issue of  Missouri Life  magazine, as one of the last of the “Main Street Mansions.”

The home, open daily by appointment, is also available for non-DAR events such as meetings, weddings, teas, anniversaries, and other social activities. For more information contact the state curator.

Historic J. Huston Tavern, Arrow Rock, Missouri

Prior to the purchase of Roslyn Heights in 1983, the historic J. Huston Tavern, in Arrow Rock, Missouri, was the home of the Missouri DAR. The J. Huston Tavern,  also known as the “Arrow Rock Tavern” or the “Old Tavern,” was built in 1834 by Judge Joseph Huston, one of the town’s original commissioners. The “Old Kitchen,” located in the tavern, is still maintained by the Missouri Daughters. The room was the state project of Honorary State Regent Lonabess C. Barnett and is furnished with items belonging to the DAR and in keeping with the period of the tavern. A marker was placed on the door designating the room as being the project of the Missouri State Society Daughters of the American Revolution. In view of the MSSDAR’s long association with the tavern, it seemed appropriate to maintain a presence there for visitors to enjoy.

Missouri Historic Markers

Missouri Daughters have been instrumental in identifying and marking the gravesites of American Revolutionary War Patriots and Real Daughters of the American Revolutionary War throughout the state of Missouri. 

Grave marking services are held for deceased Daughters through their chapter by request, and many active Daughters mark their own gravestones with the DAR Insignia to proudly display their DAR membership for future generations. If you have questions concerning the marking of a gravesite for you or a loved one, contact our state historian.

Through the efforts of Missouri Daughters, a granite stone marks the original burial site of Daniel and Rebecca Bryan Boone in Marthasville, Missouri. Trail markers have been rededicated along the historic Boone’s Lick Trail, which stretches over 120 miles from St. Charles to New Franklin, Missouri. Each stone recalls a stagecoach stop, tavern, fort, or some other outpost along the Boone’s Lick Trail, an early road traveled by pioneers who settled Missouri. Missouri Daughters have been marking historic trails and sites since the early 1900s as a way of preserving our rich Missouri history.

Patriots Honored at the Missouri State Capitol

Cold Water Cemetery, Florissant, Missouri

Historic Cold Water Cemetery (CWC), gifted to the Missouri Daughters in November 1963, is considered by historians to be the oldest Protestant cemetery west of the Mississippi River still in use.  Located in Florissant Valley in St. Louis County, it was originally the Patterson family burial ground, established on a small portion of the 1500 arpents (an arpent is a French measurement almost equal to an acre), of a land grant acquired by John Patterson, an American Revolutionary War Patriot who is buried there. Two known American Revolutionary War soldiers and soldiers who fought in the War of 1812, the Seminole War, the War Between the States, the Mexican War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War are buried there.

Cold Water Cemetery is also the resting place of twenty-three Missouri Daughters of whom we honor each year during our Memorial Day Service by placing a red rose on their grave. Each daughter devoted their time and energy as members of our Missouri Society dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children.

Madonna of the Trail, Lexington, Missouri

The Madonna of the Trail monument, located in Lexington, Missouri, is one of twelve identical statues dedicated to pioneer women in the United States, marking the historic National Old Trails Road from Cumberland, Maryland, to Upland, California. The monuments were erected by state organizations of the Daughters of the American Revolution in each of the twelve states through which the National Old Trails Road passes, culminating in the week of April 19, 1929, with the twelfth monument dedication at Bethesda, Maryland. Missouri Daughters proudly maintain their Madonna, which stands at the corner of Highland Street and Main Street, formerly the National Old Trails Road. This monument was rededicated on September 28, 1978, and a historic marker was placed in 2003. 

 

For questions or comments regarding MSSDAR historic markers, contact the state historian.

We invite you to visit our National Society’s website to learn more about Historic Preservation and DAR Historic Preservation Grants.