HISTORY OF THE CHAPTER:

The year 2010 has been an eventful one for our Chapter. In January we celebrated our 100^th birthday on January 9, 2010, with a sit-down dinner at the Grant Bly House, which was 100 years old. We had approximately 100 guests, including the State Regent, Barbara Whalin Makant and a National Vice President, Sue Bratton and several other state officers

On April 25, 2010 eight of our members and three of the husbands celebrated the dedication of the bench we had made in honor of our 100^th year as a chapter.

Picture: left to right: Mary Lois Kelley, Una Snodgrass, Ruth Ann Fay, Donna Forsythe, Mary Gaffney, Charlene Murphy, Ethel Bland and Irene Dreggors.

Twice the chapter entertained the State Conference of the Florida Society of DAR: in February 1917 and in March 1931. At the latter Conference, the state organization of the Children of the American Revolution was formed with Boyce Ezell, son of a Colonel Arthur Erwin Regent, as its first president. A past state officers club, with Mrs. Theodore Strawn of De Land as president, was born during the convention.

Also at this conference, a DAR marker was placed on the old chimney at De Leon Springs State Park, sponsored by Colonel Arthur Erwin Chapter. The chimney forms the remains of an old sugar mill built by the Spaniards. Tradition clings to the chimney, and to the old water wheel, which mark the picturesque spot supposed to have been visited by Ponce de Leon in his search for the fabled fountain of youth. The inscription on the bronze plaque reads "1560-1763."

Through the decades, the chapter has continued its patriotic, historic, and educational endeavors, and has been supportive of and contributed to National, State, and Volusia/Flagler/Seminole Council DAR projects and goals. The chapter presents DAR Good Citizen Awards in the form of pins, bonds, and certificates to seniors in four area high schools; JROTC medals, and certificates to outstanding students in three area high schools, and History Essay certificates to participating 7^th and 8^th grade students from two area schools. The chapter has a $10,000 bond, of which the interest is sent as a nursing scholarship to a student at Bacone Indian School each year.

During the past decade, the chapter has given one NSDAR American History Award Medal, one National Medal of Honor, and several Community Service awards.

We meet the second Friday of the month from October through May with a Constitution Week Tea in September.