The La Puerta de Oro - San Francisco Chapter, NSDAR has been a part of San Francisco and the NSDAR since 1891, just 41 years after the admission of the State of California to the United States and only a year after the founding of Daughters of the American Revolution in 1890. The Chapter can trace it’s legacy back over 125 years and was the sixth NSDAR Chapter in the Country. On June 16, 2000, La Puerta de Oro Chapter, NSDAR merged with the San Francisco Chapter, NSDAR. Then in January 2004 Sequoia and California Chapters, NSDAR merged into La Puerta de Oro - San Francisco Chapter, NSDAR which continues the mission of the National Society. Today, with the legacies of all four chapters, as well as that of our national organization, our Daughters look ahead to the many projects and efforts to continue the vision of our Founders.

Four Chapters, One Mission; The History of the La Puerta de Oro - San Francisco Chapter

Presentation by Chapter historian, cathy Mccausland

Four Chapters, One Mission; The Stories of Our Founding Chapters

Stay Tuned. Presentation Comming Soon.

1891 - The Sequoia Chapter, NSDAR

In 1891, in response to the rapid growth of the Society, National decided that states needed Regents. After being nominated by President General Caroline Scott Harrison, Sarah Isabelle Hubbard was elected California State Regent, on September 14 of that same year. Soon thereafter, on December 10, Mrs. Hubbard organized the first chapter in California with Mrs. William Alvord as Regent, at a large gathering at the grand Nob Hill home of Ellen Mason Colton. Among the charter members were Mrs. Leland Stanford (National number 605), and Nancy Malinda Lynde, a Real Daughter. The name Sequoia was adopted at the first meeting, held Jan. 6, 1892 at the home of Mrs. Lizzie Horsburgh, 1522 Washington St. The chapter was the sixth in the country. Work began in earnest on the Society’s mission. A chapter library was begun within months and grew steadily; however, all the volumes were lost in the 1906 fire. On Lexington Day, April 19, 1896, members planted the Liberty Tree, near the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. The ceremony was held amid much festivities, and soil was added from Revolutionary battlefields, Mt. Vernon and other historic spots. Mrs. Hubbard next proposed the idea of planting an arch of trees in the Park, one tree from each of the original thirteen states. Eastern chapters responded readily sending the trees by train. Under the supervision of John McLaren, with thousands of citizens in attendance, the planting was accomplished on Yorktown Day, October 19, 1896. Again soils were added from historic sites, including from the grave of Lafayette in Paris. The grove has twice been re-dedicated and now has its thirteen trees, four of which date from 1896. Sequoia participated in the fund raising for the procurement of the Houdon statue of George Washington, presenting it to the City of San Francisco on Decoration Day in 1917. Local historic sites have been marked over the years by Sequoia chapter, including the Inner Signal Station of 1849 on Telegraph Hill, in 1929. In 1939 members served as hostesses in the DAR room at the International Exposition on Treasure Island. The chapter was active during war times with activities such as knitting garments, preparing surgical dressings, working at the Red Cross, selling War Savings Stamps at a booth on Market St., organizing events to entertain troops, and much more. Other activities over the years included copying gravestone inscriptions in a section of Laurel Hill (Lone Mountain) Cemetery. After WWI, member Ethel Sperry Crocker undertook the restoration of the French village of Tilloloy. We have Mrs. Crocker’s insignia pin, an important item of our memorabilia. Our chapter is also fortunate to have our original 1892 charter, carefully preserved over so many generations. In 1954-55, as part of the civic effort to restore vital records destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, Sequoia members copied information from old newspapers. Many donations have been made by chapter members to the DAR Museum, including Revolutionary War-era items, such as a fife carried during the revolution. Support and education of our youth was always a focus, with donations to the DAR Schools, and recognition of outstanding students locally.

1896 - The california Chapter, NSDAR

California Chapter, the third oldest of our parent chapters, was organized on April 16, 1896 at the home of Mrs. Joseph L. Moody. The name was chosen to honor our state, then approaching its 50 th anniversary. Mrs. Moody later served in many other capacities, and continued to hold meetings at her gracious home at 3522 Clay St. One of the first acts of the chapter was on Oct. 19 of that year, to present and plant the first tree, a sequoia, at the Colonial Arch of Trees in Golden Gate Park. This elaborate and well-attended event was organized by our own Sequoia Chapter. For the October 25 chapter meeting members took the ferry over to Berkeley, meeting at the home of Mrs. Davenport, at 2323 College Ave. This beautiful home is now part of the UC Berkeley campus. Mrs. A. L. Bancroft, Regent, presided over an interesting meeting. Among the agenda items was a reading by Mrs. Davenport of an account of the death of George Washington, from the Ulster County Gazette, Dec. 1799. Mrs. Davenport’s daughter Eleanor played a musical selection on the zither, after which delicious refreshments were served, including the Washington cake, a Mt. Vernon recipe. On April 26, 1906 the chapter was scheduled to elect new officers; however, that day the City lay smoldering in ruins after the earthquake and fire. Most of the chapter’s records and papers were burned, presumably including the original Charter. Great efforts were undertaken to contact members and assemble a meeting the following October 22. California chapter actively participated in fund raising for the building of Memorial Continental Hall in Washington, DC, sending $250 in 1911. The chapter also awarded prizes to local students for the best composition on the American Revolution. By 1915 California chapter had 45 members, that year raised $100 towards the Pioneer Mothers’ Monument, and was sending reading material to soldiers in German Samoa. Members contributed generously to the bronze statue of George Washington, presented to the people of San Francisco; chapter member Mrs. Phoebe Hearst personally gave $250. In 1924 the chapter joined the other San Francisco chapters in placing a bronze plaque set in a stone at the base of the flagpole in Portsmouth Square, commemorating the first raising of the American Flag in San Francisco by Capt. John Montgomery of the USS Portsmouth in 1846. In 1926 members located and marked twenty-four graves of Revolutionary soldiers. In 1928 they marked the four corners of the original Presidio Building with bronze tablets. The graves of two Real Granddaughters were marked in 1931, that of Mrs. Sarah Hubbard, our first State Regent, and Mrs. Louise Bee, an early California chapter member. A tree which stands majestically today in Golden Gate Park was planted in 1935 by the chapter in honor of President Herbert Hoover for his work in conservation. The plaque is still present at the base of this tree. In 1931 two cuttings from the original George Washington elm were planted in the court at Grace Cathedral. In later years they had to be relocated for construction and their descendant trees were planted elsewhere on the cathedral grounds. In 1956 the oldest building at the Presidio, the Old Station Hospital, was marked with a plaque by the chapter. The building was in use from 1857 until the construction of Letterman Hospital in 1969. So many accomplishments and community contributions cannot be included here due to space; even a brief look back at these remarkable women can give us inspiration for the future.

1896 La Puerta De Oro Chapter, NSDAR

On April 4, 1896, a group of twelve dedicated American women met at the home of Mrs. Henry Gibbons, forming California’s third DAR chapter, naming it La Puerta de Oro. One of the women, Mrs. John Franklin Swift later served as Vice-President General for six years, and was a leader in the suffrage movement. In July of 1899, the beloved Mrs. Gibbons passed away suddenly. A few months later, our Real Daughter member, Mary Ann McQuestern, also passed on. It was in that year that members began supporting important social causes, the first being the passage of a national bill to secure employment for graduate nurses in the US Army. We are fortunate to still retain several original Minutes books from the early days of the chapter. These give us an excellent insight into the month-to-month ativities of the chapter, from the business to the social portions of meetings. The organization has a long history of support of our military; we see this as long ago as the Spanish American War, when the chapter donated to the American Library Fund in Manila. In 1898, funds were given to the Red Cross. The homes of many members were lost in the earthquake and fire of 1906, as well as chapter records. Undaunted, members stepped right up and participated in the relief and rebuilding of their City. News of the disaster reached Washington during Continental Congress, with two of our officers in attendance. The Congress immediately sent $1000 (over $26,000 in today’s money), to aid DAR members in need. The Regent, Mrs. Hoyt, held an informal meeting at her home at 2626 Steiner to plan how the chapter could “alleviate the distressing conditions” caused by the earthquake and fire. Prior to the quake the chapter had been involved in the South Park Settlement, which provided instruction in trades and other skills for needy children. The building was lost in the fire and one of the items the chapter purchased to help the establishment recover was a replacement American flag for the Boy’s Club. Several years later La Puerta De Oro Chapter initiated the idea and efforts to purchase the Houdon statue of George Washington for San Francisco. Numerous fund raisers were held, including a lavish vaudeville show at the St. Francis Hotel. The statue was initially placed in the Palace of Fine Arts and later in the Veterans Building. During World War I, chapter members donated funds and sewed and knitted tirelessly to help war refugees. A particular focus were Belgian women and children. Also, a fatherless French child, Anne Bordes, was adopted and cared for by the chapter. Funds were also given for the restoration of the French village of Tilloloy, part of a national DAR effort. Throughout the decades, the chapter supported the organization’s mission of education, historical preservation and patriotism. During the Second World War chapter members contributed many hours and funds to the war effort, the Red Cross and British War Relief. Chapter members became ambulance drivers, canteen workers, Gray ladies and blood donors. In 1954 several members served on Mayor Robinson’s committee for the observance of patriotic days. Annual window displays were arranged at the City of Paris department store during Constitution Week. From 1942 to 1954 chapter members devoted long hours in reconstructing the City’s vital records that had been lost in 1906, painstakingly copying information from newspapers.

1933 San Francisco Chapter, NSDAR

On December 21, 1933 the San Francisco Chapter was formally organized with thirty-four members, with Mrs. Virginia Duncan as Organizing Regent. We still possess the original charter, with its gold seal and names of all charter members beautifully written in hand calligraphy. The charter is signed by four National officers. The chapter was committed to the organization’s goals, and its accomplishments over the years demonstrate that. On March 27, 1954 a Dawn Sequoia tree was planted in Pershing Square at the Presidio to honor six chapter members who had served as active duty military in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. A bronze marker was placed at the foot of the tree, honoring the members’ service in the Armed Forces. On September 28, 1958, chapter members, working through the California State Park Commission, dedicated a bronze tablet to the memory of Sarah Washington Irving Taylor, in Samuel Taylor Park, Marin County. Mrs. Taylor, who died in 1907, had shown extraordinary bravery in rescuing girls from human trafficking in the 1880s, as well as many other pioneering contributions to her State and community. Chapter members joined other San Francisco chapters in marking the sites of Old Fort Point in 1955, and also the site of the James King Bank at the corner of Commercial and Montgomery Streets. Mr. King, who established the News Call Bulletin newspaper was known for his honesty and crusades against corruption. In celebration of Constitution Week, the chapter sponsored large displays in the windows of the Emporium department store. We have photos of two of those displays, in 1957 and 1960. The tasteful and informative displays included, in 1957: replicas of the Constitution, loaned by the Eighth District of the American Legion, a copy of Howard Christy’s painting of the “Signing of the Constitution”, and the original Proclamation for Constitution Week signed by Mayor George Christopher. The window in 1960 included a replica of a colonial desk, historic books and quill pen and ink stands. Each window also had our beautiful full-sized American flag. Hundreds of people passed by the windows each day during those weeks. Many influential women have been San Francisco Chapter members. Among them was Gladys Hansen, Archivist at the San Francisco Public Library. Gladys was the creator of the San Francisco History Room at the main library, and the originator of the City Guides tour program. Her contributions to the preserving of our City’s history cannot be overstated. The San Francisco memorabilia she preserved will eventually be on view in our City museum. Gladys did a program for our chapter in 1978, and was a chapter member until her death at age 93. Dorothy Usinger joined the chapter in 1948, and was another active and committed DAR member. At her death she donated her entire genealogy library to the SF Public Library’s Genealogical Section, now residing at Sutro Library. She also left $5000 to our chapter, stipulating the interest of the donation be used to purchase additional genealogical books, which we continue to do. Mrs. Mamie Sanders-Mealoy, Regent of the chapter 1984-86, left money in her Will for a fund to provide local American History, Good Citizens, Christopher Columbus and JROTC awards. This fund is still active an members continue to support it. Our gratitude to all these Daughters who left such a legacy for us.

A special thanks to Cathy McCausland for documenting our legacy.