Battle Born Chapter NSDAR
Carson City, Nevada
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
ABOUT US
Organized in 2004, our chapter continues to work to promote DAR programs and ideals in our community.
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In 2016, in partnership with the Fort Churchill Society Children of the American Revolution, we placed three U.S. Flag Retirement bins in Carson City at the Carson City Library, the Carson Flag Store, and Grandma Hattie's Restaurant. When Grandma Hattie's closed, the bin was moved to Carson City Hall. Between August 2016 and November 2017 we collected more than 2,000 U.S. flags in need of retirement from our community. We collaborated with Fort Churchill Society C.A.R. and the City of Carson City to hold a community-wide flag retirement ceremony on November 10, 2017, where tribute was paid to these flags and they were officially retired. The ashes of the flags were buried near the veterans section of the Lone Mountain Cemetery. We continued to collect flags in retirement bins placed in the Carson City area and ensure their proper retirement up through October 2023.
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In 2016, our DAR Good Citizen winner from Carson High School was named the Nevada State DAR Good Citizen. We also annually present a DAR Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) medal to an outstanding cadet in the Carson High School Naval JROTC Unit.
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Chapter members promote DAR youth contests in our community. In 2012, our chapter sponsored the state winner in the American History essay contest in the eighth grade. Our chapter also sponsored the 2005 state winners of the American History essay contest in the sixth and eighth grade levels, the 2008 state winner at the eighth grade level, the 2010 winners at the sixth and seventh grade levels, and the 2011 winner at the seventh grade level. Our 2010, seventh grade winner also won the southwest division contest.
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In 2018, our chapter Junior American Citizens (JAC) Community Service Project winners won the national first place award. In 2017, our third grade JAC postage stamp design winner won third place in the national competition. In 2012, our eighth grade JAC photo essay contest winner also won national first place. In 2010, our sixth grade JAC photo essay winner won first place in the national competition, and we had other entries receive national recognition including banner entries at the Pre-K and seventh grade levels.
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Our chapter is also a proud sponsor of the Fort Churchill Society Children of the American Revolution.
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Battle Born Chapter NSDAR strongly supports Americanism and Constitution Week activities and participates in several community events throughout the year in related activities. We have an annual Constitution Week program and create a Constitution Week display in the local library. In 2012 and 2011, we participated in the Walk for the Constitution. In September 2010, the chapter sponsored a month-long display in the Carson City Mall "kid's corner" relating to Constitution Week and Americanism. Efforts to get the DAR message out into the community have resulted in several publicity awards, including winning the Nevada State Society DAR Traveling Publicity Trophy in 2008 and 2009, as well as the southwest division award for Outstanding Public Relations and Media in 2008.
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Members are very involved in literacy efforts in Carson City. Our many volunteer literacy hours resulting in a first place win in the Literacy Challenge contest at the Nevada State Society DAR state conference in March 2006.
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For six years, the chapter sponsored an annual holiday wreath laying ceremony honoring veterans and active duty military. At the last ceremony held on December 3, 2012, we were pleased to have then-Governor Brian Sandoval lay the wreath.
Chapter Officers
2022 - 2024
Regent Jan French
Vice Regent
Chaplain Beth Seifert
Recording Secretary Suzanne Miladin
Treasurer Lori Bagwell
Registrar Sue Malek
Historian Jeanne Young
Librarian Karma Barnes-Truitt
WHY WE CHOSE OUR NAME
It is a popular myth that Nevada is called the Battle Born State because the territory joined the United States to “save the Union” by bringing its vast silver and gold resources and to prevent the state from joining the Confederacy. The true reasons are more akin to those of the early colonists in America who declared their independence and embarked upon the American Revolution.
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The reasons for Nevada’s statehood were political, not economic, and the battle was about preserving the Union rather than the ongoing physical battle that was raging between the Union and the Confederacy dividing the country.
Nevada was a federal territory and a part of the Union, and President Abraham Lincoln appointed as governor James W. Nye, a former New York City Police Commissioner, to ensure Nevada remained a part of the Union. Governor Nye put down any demonstration in support of the Confederacy, and the federal government bought much of Nevada’s silver and gold to support its currency and mint coins. Therefore, Nevada’s creation as a territory on March 2, 1861, by the U.S. Congress ensured that its riches would help the Union and not the Confederate cause.
By the time Congress approved an enabling Act for Nevada on March 21, 1864, the Civil War was winding down. The Union had won decisive victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. President Lincoln was seeking re-election and facing a three-way race against General John C. Fremont and General George B. McClellan, both of whom he had relieved of their commands earlier in the war.
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The Constitutional Convention met in Carson City on July 4, 1864, just one year after the terrible battle at Gettysburg. The Union needed another state, another supporter of President Lincoln, to prove to the Confederacy that the Union was strong. Patriotism was running high in the area, and those assembled for the Convention felt very loyal to the Union. They were quite willing to do what they could to support it.
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In addition, new states and their popular and electoral votes were needed to reelect Lincoln in support of his moderate reconstruction policies for the South. Most importantly, if Nevada were a state, it could ratify the proposed 13th Amendment abolishing slavery and help in the passage of the landmark humanitarian legislation. Fremont and his supporters wanted to harshly punish the South, conducting war crime trials and executing convicted Confederate political and military leaders. McClellan and his supporters wanted to readmit the Confederate states back into the Union with virtually no conditions.
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By a vote of the Congress, Nevada was officially admitted as a state on October 31, 1864 - becoming the 36th state in our union. Nevada was actually the second Battle Born state because of its entrance into the Union during the Civil War. Battle Born West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863.