National Society of the Colonial Dames of America

Association of historic preservation societies

Not to be confused with The Colonial Dames of America or National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century.

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Colonial Dames of America

The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America

Dumbarton House is the Society's Headquarters in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Abbreviation| NSCDA
Founded| April 8, 1891
Type| Non-profit, lineage society
Focus| Historic preservation, education, patriotism
Headquarters| Dumbarton House
Membership| 15,000[citation needed]

Publication

| Dames in Uniform
Website| nscda.org

The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America (often abbreviated as NSCDA) is an American lineage society composed of women who are descended from an ancestor "who came to reside in an American Colony before 1776, and whose services were rendered during the Colonial Period." The organization has 43 corporate societies. The national headquarters is Dumbarton House in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

## History

[edit]

The organization was founded in 1891, shortly after the founding of a similar society, the Colonial Dames of America (CDA), which was created to have a centrally organized structure under the control of the parent Society in New York City.

The NSCDA was intended as a federation of State Societies in which each unit had a degree of autonomy.[1] Another society formed around the same time was the Daughters of the American Revolution. Organized following the United States Centennial of 1876 and a Centennial of the US Constitution in New York in 1889, the NSCDA has worked in historic preservation, restoration and the interpretation of historic sites since its New York Society first undertook the preservation of the Van Cortlandt House in 1897.

The organization includes 43 corporate societies. Its headquarters is located at Dumbarton House, in Washington, D.C. In addition to its activities in museum work, the Society sponsors scholarship programs and other historic preservation, patriotic service and educational projects. Historic house museums owned or operated by the NSCDA include:

* Andrew Low House, Savannah, Georgia
* Burgwin-Wright House, Wilmington, North Carolina
* Henry B. Clarke House, Chicago, Illinois
* Dumbarton House, Washington, DC, the Society's national headquarters
* Governor Stephen Hopkins House, Providence, Rhode Island
* Gunston Hall, Mason Neck, Virginia
* Haywood Hall, Raleigh, North Carolina
* Old Indian Agency House, Portage, Wisconsin (www.agencyhouse.org)
* Hoover-Minthorn House, Newberg, Oregon
* Liberty Hall, Frankfort, Kentucky
* McElroy Octagon House, San Francisco, California
* Plum Grove Historic House, Iowa City, Iowa
* Stenton, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Ximenez-Fatio House, St. Augustine, Florida
* Mount Clare, Baltimore, Maryland
* McAllister House Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado
* Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, Wethersfield, Connecticut
* Hotel de Paris Museum, Georgetown, Colorado
* Joel Lane Museum House, Raleigh, North Carolina
* Old First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, Wilmington, Delaware
* Tate House, Portland, Maine
* Moffat-Ladd House, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
* Whitehall Museum House, Middletown, Rhode Island[2]
* William Hickling Prescott House, Boston, Massachusetts
* Wilton House Museum, Richmond, Virginia
* Peachfield, Westampton, New Jersey

## Notable members

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* Helen Gilman Noyes Brown (1867–1942), philanthropist
* Carol Cadou, museum curator and administrator, former executive director of the society from 2021 - 2024
* Ruth Coltrane Cannon (1891–1965), preservationist, historian, and philanthropist
* Sarah Johnson Cocke (1865–1944), writer and civic leader
* Alice Creelman (1858–1952), artist and art dealer
* Mary Mayo Crenshaw (1875–1951), author
* Ella Loraine Dorsey (1853–1935), author, journalist, and translator
* Marion Moncure Duncan (1913–1978), businesswoman and lineage society leader
* Grace Gemberling (1903–1997), painter
* Anne Lyon Haight (1891–1977), author, essayist, and collector
* Mary Hilliard Hinton (1869–1961), painter, historian, and anti-suffragist
* Jane Tunstall Lingo (1924–2007), journalist and socialite
* Anne Hazen McFarland (1868–1930), physician and medical journal editor
* Florence MacKubin (1857–1918), portrait painter
* Mary Martha Presley Merritt (died 1994), politician
* Mary Lane Morrison (1907–1994), writer, historian and preservationist
* Theodora Agnes Peck (1882–1964), author and poet
* Isabel Weld Perkins (1876–1948), heiress, author, and society hostess
* Delia Lyman Porter (1858–1933), author, social reformer, and clubwoman
* Sara Agnes Rice Pryor (1830–1912), writer and community activist
* Sarah Corbin Robert (1886–1972), authority on parliamentary procedure
* Eron Rowland (1861/2–1951), historian and author
* Marion Margery Scranton (1884–1960), women’s suffrage activist
* Annie Bartlett Shepard (1861–1944), American anti-suffragist
* Sarah Logan Wister Starr (1873–1956), humanitarian
* Lilian Carpenter Streeter (1854–1935), social reformer and author
* Mary Oates Spratt Van Landingham (1852–1937), Vice President of the North Carolina Society of the Colonial Dames
* Presley Merritt Wagoner, 40th President General of the DAR
* Eva Ingersoll Wakefield (1892–1970), writer and poet
* Margaret Anderson Watts (1832–1905), social reformer
* May Rogers Webster (1873–1938), naturalist
* Anne Hollingsworth Wharton (1845–1928), writer and historian
* Helen M. Winslow (1851–1938), editor, author, publisher, and journalist
* Anna Wolcott (1868–1928), educator
* Frances Fisher Wood (1852–1938), educator, lecturer, and scientist
* Mary van Kleeck (1883–1972), social scientist and feminist

## See also

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* Sons of the American Revolution (SAR)
* Children of the American Revolution (C.A.R.)
* The Mayflower Society
* Society of the Cincinnati
* Southern Dames of America

## References

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1. ^ The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, Pennsylvania Headquarters Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ "Whitehall Museum House, c.1729". Visit Historic NSCDA Museums. Colonial Dames of America. Retrieved 1 August 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Complete list of active hereditary societies
* Papers, 1975-ca. 1978. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
* The American Revolution Institute

* v
* t
* e

Mid-Atlantic U.S. historical societies

Delaware|

| Wilmington|

* Business History Conference
* Delaware Historical Society

|

Maryland|

| Baltimore|

* Baltimore Heritage
* Community College Humanities Association
* Maryland Center for History and Culture
* Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing

|

Others|

* Association of Black Women Historians (Silver Spring)
* Berkshire Conference of Women Historians (Clarksville)
* C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience (Chestertown)
* Early American Industries Association (Hebron)
* Frederick and Pennsylvania Line Railroad Museum (Walkersville)
* Historical Society of Baltimore County (Cockeysville)
* National History Day (College Park)

New Jersey|

| Boonton|

* Boonton Historical Society and Museum
* United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey

|

Trenton|

* New Jersey Historic Trust
* New Jersey Historical Commission

Others|

* Hunterdon County Historical Society (Flemington)
* Monmouth County Historical Association (Freehold)
* Montclair Historical Society (Montclair)
* New Jersey Historical Society (Newark)
* Sussex County Historical Society (Newton)
* The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills (Basking Ridge)
* Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society (Vineland)

New York|

| Albany|

* Academy of Certified Archivists
* New Netherland Institute
* Preservation League of New York State

|

New York City|

| The Bronx|

* The Bronx County Historical Society

|

Brooklyn|

* Brooklyn Historical Society

Manhattan|

* American Irish Historical Society
* American Jewish Historical Society
* Association for the Study of Nationalities
* Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
* Historians of American Communism
* Historic Districts Council
* Leo Baeck Institute New York
* Morgan Library & Museum
* Municipal Art Society
* New York Historical
* New York Landmarks Conservancy
* New York Military Affairs Symposium
* The Renaissance Society of America
* Royal Oak Foundation
* Society of American Historians
* Veteran Corps of Artillery of the State of New York
* World Monuments Fund

Queens|

* Greater Astoria Historical Society
* Queens Historical Society

Staten Island|

* Staten Island Historical Society

Others|

* Adirondack Architectural Heritage (Keeseville)
* American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (Buffalo)
* Brunswick Historical Society (Brunswick)
* Chemung County Historical Society (Elmira)
* Clinton Historical Society (Clinton)
* Columbia County Historical Society (Hudson)
* Dutchess County Historical Society (Poughkeepsie)
* Historic Palmyra, Palmyra Historical Society (Palmyra)
* Historic Saranac Lake (Saranac Lake)
* Jay Heritage Center (Rye)
* Rensselaer County Historical Society (Troy)
* Schenectady County Historical Society (Schenectady)
* Social Science History Association (Ithaca)
* St. Lawrence County Historical Association (Canton)
* Theodore Roosevelt Association (Oyster Bay)
* Thomas Paine National Historical Association (New Rochelle)
* Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society (Roxbury)
* Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society (Penn Yan)

Pennsylvania|

| Philadelphia|

* German Society of Pennsylvania
* Historical Society of the Episcopal Church
* Historical Society of Frankford
* Historical Society of Pennsylvania
* Pennsylvania German Society
* Presbyterian Historical Society
* Society for Classical Studies
* Society for Historians of the Early American Republic

|

Pittsburgh|

* Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
* Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation

Waynesboro|

* Antietam Historical Association
* Waynesboro Historical Society

Others|

* Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society (Bellefonte)
* Carbondale Historical Society and Museum (Carbondale)
* Chester County History Center (West Chester)
* Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association (Gettysburg)
* Historical Society of Berks County (Reading)
* Johnny Reb Gaming Society (York)
* Lehigh County Historical Society (Allentown)
* Luzerne County Historical Society (Wilkes-Barre)
* Moravian Historical Society (Nazareth)
* Peace History Society (Gwynedd Valley)
* Pennsylvania Historical Association (Mansfield)
* Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (Harrisburg)
* Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society
* Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association (Kinzers)
* Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation (Washington)

Washington, D.C.|

| Northeast|

* Florida House on Capitol Hill
* Supreme Court Historical Society
* United States Capitol Historical Society

|

Northwest|

* Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
* American Battlefield Trust
* American Historical Association
* American Institute for Conservation
* Association for the Study of African American Life and History
* Atomic Heritage Foundation
* German Historical Institute
* Historic Preservation Fund
* Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
* National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
* National Trust for Historic Preservation
* United States Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites
* White House Historical Association

Southeast|

* Naval Historical Foundation
* Naval History and Heritage Command

Others|

* American Studies Association
* Society for History in the Federal Government

* v
* t
* e

Women's clubs in the United States

Clubs|

| Nationwide|

* American Association of University Women
* American Woman's League
* Associated Daughters of Early American Witches
* Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching
* Colonial Dames XVII Century
* Colonial Dames of America
* Dames of the Court of Honor
* Daughters of the American Colonists
* Daughters of the American Revolution
* Daughters of the Cincinnati
* Daughters of Colonial Wars
* National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America
* Daughters of Holland Dames
* Daughters of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World
* Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War
* General Federation of Women's Clubs
* Junior League
* Ladies' Memorial Association
* League of Women Voters
* National Association of Colored Women
* National Association of University Women
* National Council of Jewish Women
* National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
* National Society of New England Women
* National Society Daughters of the Union 1861-1865
* Phillis Wheatley Club
* Queen Isabella Association
* Southern Dames of America
* United States Daughters of 1812
* United Daughters of the Confederacy
* United Order of Tents
* Women's Christian Temperance Union
* Women's National Republican Club
* Women's Joint Congressional Committee
* Women's Trade Union League
* Young Women's Christian Association

|

Alabama|

* Alabama's Colored Women's Club

Alaska|

* Anchorage

Arizona|

* Casa Grande
* Glendale
* Mesa
* Willcox

California|

* California State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs
* Berkeley City Club
* Beverly Hills
* College Women's Club
* Corona
* Ebell Society
* Ebell of LA
* Francisca Club
* Hollywood
* Hollywood Press
* La Jolla
* Lincoln
* LA Nurses' Club
* Metropolitan Club
* San Pedro
* Wilfandel Club

Delaware|

* Milford
* Wilmington

Florida|

* Bradenton
* Davie
* Fort Lauderdale
* Miami

Georgia|

* Atlanta Neighborhood Union
* Atlanta Woman's Club
* Dawson
* Demorest
* Tennille

Hawaii|

* Daughters of Hawaii

Illinois|

* Chicago and Northern District Association of Colored Women's Clubs
* Chicago Woman's Club
* Fortnightly of Chicago
* Frederick Douglass Woman's Club
* Three Arts Club

Indiana|

* Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs
* Vincennes

Iowa|

* Iowa Federation of Colored Women's Clubs
* Des Moines

Kansas|

* Topeka Council of Colored Women's Clubs Building
* Woman's Club of Topeka

Kentucky|

* Kentucky Federation of Women's Clubs

Louisiana|

* Era Club

Maryland|

* Woman's Literary Club of Baltimore
* Maryland Woman Suffrage Association

Massachusetts|

* Chilton
* College Club of Boston
* Colored Female Religious and Moral Society
* New England Woman's Press Association
* New England Women's Club
* Woman's Era Club
* Saturday Morning Club

Michigan|

* Ladies' Library Association of Kalamazoo

Minnesota|

* Saint Paul

Mississippi|

* Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs
* Mississippi State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs

Montana|

* East Glacier

Nevada|

* 20th Century Club

New Jersey|

* Kalmia Club
* Morristown
* Red Bank
* Rutherford
* Upper Montclair

New Mexico|

* Alamogordo
* Carrizozo
* Las Cruces
* Silver City

New York|

* Empire State Federation of Women's Clubs
* Brooklyn Woman's Club
* Colony Club
* Cosmopolitan Club
* Equal Suffrage League (Brooklyn)
* Newswomen's Club of New York
* Sorosis
* Women's City Club

North Carolina|

* Charlotte

Ohio|

* Dayton

Oklahoma|

* Oklahoma Federation of Colored Women's Clubs
* Federation of Women's Clubs for Oklahoma and Indian Territories

Oregon|

* Ashland
* Colored Women's Clubs
* Dundee
* Town Club

Pennsylvania|

* Cosmopolitan Club
* Plastic Club

South Carolina|

* General Federation of Women's Clubs of South Carolina
* South Carolina Federation of Colored Women's Clubs

Tennessee|

* 19th Century Club
* Country Woman's Club
* Ossoli Circle

Texas|

* Daughters of the Republic of Texas
* Texas Association of Women's Clubs
* Texas Equal Rights Association
* Texas Equal Suffrage Association
* Texas Federation of Women's Clubs
* Dallas Equal Suffrage Association
* El Paso
* Fort Worth
* Houston Heights
* Lyceum Club
* San Antonio

Utah|

Daughters of Utah Pioneers

Virginia|

* Mount Vernon

Washington|

* Kirkland
* Longview
* Olympia
* University Club of Seattle

Wisconsin|

* Wauwatosa

Wyoming|

* Casper

Washington D.C.|

* Sulgrave Club
* Women's City Club

Publications|

* The Woman's Era

Conventions|

* First National Conference of the Colored Women of America

List of women's clubs|

* List of women's clubs

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Australia
* Vatican
* Israel

Artists|

* ULAN

People|

* Trove

Other|

* SNAC
* Yale LUX

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