Mary Desha DAR Founder Grave - Lexington, KY, USA
N 38° 03.428 W 084° 30.529
16S E 718566 N 4215084
Mary Desha one of the four original founders of Daughters of American Revolution. The gravesite features a granite monument with the DAR’s seal which was dedicated in 1915.
Waymark Code: WM18FAN
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 07/23/2023
Views: 3
Mary Desha
BIRTH
8 Mar 1850
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, USA
DEATH
29 Jan 1911 (aged 60)
Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA
BURIAL
The Lexington Cemetery
Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, USA
PLOT
Section D, Lot 18
Born to a prosperous family that lost its wealth during the Civil War, Desha turned to education for a career. She taught at the Dudley School for ten years, and at the age of 38 accepted a teaching position in the frontier town of Sitka, Alaska, where she was much impressed by the quality of women's rights. She later took a clerk position in Washington, DC. In 1890, she co-founded the Daughters of the American Revolution in a direct response to the Sons of the American Revolution refusing to accept women as members. The DAR's goal was stated as the preservation of history and memorabilia from the American Revolution. She became the first DAR vice-president and designed the DAR seal. During the Spanish American War, she was the Assistant Director of the organization. She was honored with the first memorial service ever to be held in Memorial Continental Hall in Washington, DC.
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