Members of Dorcheat-Bistineau Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution met at the home of Past Chapter Regent Cindy Madden for their annual Constitution Week Tea. DAR celebrates Constitution Week each year on September 17-23. Minden Mayor Nick Cox provided a Constitution Week Proclamation for our chapter. Cindy, who is our Constitution Week Chair, is setting up a Constitution Week display at the Webster Parish Library. She gave a presentation to our chapter about our America 250 Project that took place last spring. Each chapter in the DAR Northwest District received a DAR America 250 Celebration Grant. All of these chapters pooled their grant money to purchase teaching materials and colonial costumes, and presented colonial history programs to area schools.
During our meeting’s opening ritual, we lit a candle and observed a moment of silence for the victims of 9-11. Before beginning our business meeting, Maggie Salter was sworn in as our new Chapter Recording Secretary. Kathy Johnson, our Chapter Chaplain, conducted the ceremony for Maggie.
Our new Chapter Regent, Donna Sutton, gave a PowerPoint photo presentation to highlight the projects our chapter participated in during the summer. For Memorial Day, Donna and her son Spencer placed flags on 65 veterans’ graves at Bear Creek and Camp Ground cemeteries. For Flag Day, Cindy and Jerry Madden replaced the flag at Meadowview Health and Rehab Center with the help of the Minden Fire Department. The fire department’s ladder was needed to change the old rope on the tall flagpole.
For Independence Day, members of our chapter participated in Mt. Lebanon Historical Society’s annual Flag Raising Ceremony. Cindy Madden served as guest speaker. Mary Claire Kettler, our Chapter Historic Preservation Chair and Mt. Lebanon Historical Society board member, presented patriotic music videos to accompany the ceremony. Donna Sutton presented a Certificate of Appreciation and a lapel pin to each veteran in attendance, and presented a Certificate of Appreciation from our chapter to the Mt. Lebanon Historical Society.
In August, Donna and her son Spencer (who serves as State Veterans Chairman of Children of the American Revolution) participated in the Galvez Chapter SAR wreath laying ceremony in Greenwood. The three organizations placed wreaths on the grave of Revolutionary War soldier William Davis. William lived in Granville County, North Carolina, during the Revolution. In 1780 he volunteered to serve in Capt. John Henderson’s Company of Horse. He received an honorable discharged in 1782. In 1838, he and his son Thomas moved to Shreveport and bought land south of Greenwood. William was buried on the Davis family property, which is now part of Mt. Olive Baptist Church Cemetery in Greenwood. The grave has been marked with a headstone and SAR badge by Galvez Chapter SAR. Few people know that we have 3 Revolutionary War soldiers buried in northwest Louisiana.
Our DAR chapter has a bright-red Little Free Library and drop box for worn-out American flags, located at 900 Gladney Street in Minden. Anyone can drop off flags here. We donated a box full of these flags to Boy Scout Troop 100 in Bossier City. The Scouts will use the flags for their flag retirement ceremonies, which is a requirement for earning their Second Class Rank badges.
For a historic preservation project, our Chapter Regent is making a time capsule that will be opened by our chapter for America’s 300th birthday in 2076. She encouraged members to write cards and letters to members in the future, and to donate small inexpensive items. The time capsule will be sealed during our September 2026 chapter meeting.
DAR is a volunteer organization dedicated to education, patriotism, and historic preservation. Any woman age 18 years or older who can prove lineal, bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence from Great Britain during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) is eligible to join DAR. For more information, contact us at dorcheatbistineau@yahoo.com .