Chapter History

BRYAN STATION CHAPTER

NATIONAL SOCIETY

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Chapter History

June 1897 - June 2020

Our chapter was organized on January 30, 1897 by Mrs. Margaret Bryan Shelby, who was recognized as the founder. Organizing members included Mrs. Anna McClarty Harbison, Mrs. Katherine Shelby Scott, Mrs. Annie Fitzhugh McClean, Ms. Erma Kenney Herndon, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Moore, Mrs. Martha Berkley McClure, Miss Celeste Lucas, Miss Elizabeth King, Miss Helen Lyle, and Mrs. Theodosia Scrugham. Four women, Mrs. Margaret Bryan Shelby, Mrs. Cecelia McClarty Harbison, Mrs. Adeline Graves, and Mrs. Nora Ward transferred their membership from the Lexington Chapter to organize the Bryan Station Chapter. The first officers included Mrs. M. B. Shelby - Regent, Mrs. C. M. Harbison – Secretary, Mrs. Graves – Treasurer, and Miss Lyle – Registrar. The first official meeting of the new chapter was held in February 1897 and the charter was granted on June 15, 1897. The Lexington and Bryan Station Chapters held joint meetings from February through October 1897. Fees and annual dues were three dollars.

The chapter was named for Bryan’s (Bryant’s) Station located five miles northeast of the Lexington Fort. On the south bank of Elkhorn Creek, southeast of the present day Lexington-Maysville Road, a forty-four cabin stockade and a two-story blockhouse style fort were built in 1779. In the summer of 1782 a large band of Indians along with Tories and Canadian Rangers, led by Simon Girty, surrounded the station and prepared for the ambush. The fort’s defenders prepared for battle, sending two messengers to Lexington. According to legend, twenty-six women and girls followed their regular routine of going to the spring for the fort's necessary water, believing the Indians would not risk revealing their forces by attacking women. Once they returned safely to the fort, the settlers opened fire. The fighting lasted until late afternoon when part of a relief group from Lexington fought their way into the fort. The attackers became discouraged after two days and withdrew during the night when they realized the fort could not be taken without artillery.

On November 1, 1928, the Executive Committee of Kentucky Pioneer Memorial Park Association at Harrodsburg invited the chapter to use one of the cabins within the stockade at Fort Harrod to create a museum. This museum, known as "The Bryan Station Cabin," would honor those heroic men and women who had lived at the pioneer settlement of Bryan’s Station.

The chapter has been recognized for the contribution of a punch bowl to Constitution Hall (1911), a flagpole and marker at the Lexington Court House in honor of Robert Patterson (1917), a highway marker on State Highway 25 at Boone’s Gap outside of Berea, Kentucky, a stone marker at the northeast corner of Gratz Park in recognition of the first building on the Transylvania University campus (1931), and a plaque on the southeast side of the Lexington Courthouse honoring the soldiers of the Revolution buried in Fayette County (1940). In 1988-1989, Regent Charlotte Weidlich and other members received approval from the City Council to name the new park located at 1670 Old Paris Road, Constitution Park. In 2001 the grave of Revolutionary soldier Pvt. Francis Miller of the Virginia Militia located in Jessamine County was marked by the chapter. In 2003, the grave of Pvt. James Ingels, Jr., Pennsylvania Militia, ancestor of member Joann Atcher, was marked.

The Bryan Station Chapter celebrated their Golden Anniversary 1897 – 1947 with a luncheon in the Lafayette Hotel Gold Room on February 24. One hundred forty members and guests were present. Mrs. Cecil Cantrill, daughter of Mrs. Margaret Bryan Shelby, founder of the chapter, cut the large three-tiered gold and white birthday cake. In observance of the chapter’s one hundredth anniversary (1997) the Executive Board recommended that funds be donated to Duncan Tavern (KSDAR Headquarters) for its structural maintenance. In 2007, the chapter celebrated its one hundred tenth anniversary with a reception at First Southern National Bank. Six chapter regents were present: Mrs. Mary Steele, Mrs. Marjorie Bastin, Mrs. Louise Wieman, Mrs. Elizabeth Polack, Mrs. Norma Brumback, and Mrs. Donna Durbin. To date forty-three regents have served the chapter. Mrs. Ann Todd presented a history of the chapter and membership awards were given. In October 2015, to commemorate the 125^th anniversary, of our National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, we planted a bald cypress tree on the property near the area it is believed the Bryan's Station fort stood.

Two members of our chapter have served as State Regents: Mrs. W. H. Thompson (1912-1913) and Mrs. William Rhodes (1922-1924). Mrs. Thompson also served as National Vice President General (1915-1917). Chapter member Mrs. Wilburn Walker (Emma Stevens) was the first woman to graduate from the University of Kentucky’s College of Commerce in 1929. She scored the highest marks in her class but was not recognized at the time because college rules reserved top-of-class honors for men. She was also denied entry into the college’s honorary society. The University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics reversed that injustice when it inducted Mrs. Walker into its Hall of Fame.

In 1928, the chapter secured the name Bryan Station High School for a new school erected in Lexington. The chapter has presented a DAR Good Citizen Medal and an ROTC Bronze Medal to students at the school each year. The Jr. ROTC Color Guard has participated in many of the chapter’s ceremonies.

In August 2007 Bryan Station Chapter worked with the Lexington Chapter of the DAR, the Kentucky Humanities Council, and the Kentucky State Parks Foundation to rededicate the Memorial at Bryan Station. Descendants of those pioneers who were at the fort during the siege of 1782 were invited along with DAR members and other honored guests. Re-enactors portrayed the women of the fort who walked down the hillside to collect water from the spring. Years later in 2015, KET recorded a short segment on Kentucky Life with Regent Carol Bailey about the brave women of Bryan Station. It was broadcast on Mother's Day that spring. An article in the online Herald Leader publication LIPSTIK! interviewed Regent Bailey about the ‘mold breaking’ women of Bryan Station for the September/October 2016 COURAGE issue.

On October 11, 2008, Chaplain Ann Cope organized a memorial service at the gravesite of NSDAR founder Mary Desha in the Lexington Cemetery. DAR members from the Lexington-area chapters attended as well as state officers. Member Ann Todd presented the program on the life of Mary Desha, and her granddaughter Ellie Todd sang the National Anthem. The Jr. ROTC from Bryan Station High School presented the Colors for the ceremony. While Bryan Station was the first to host a memorial seervice, the hosting is now rotated between the five Lexington Chapters of the Third District.

Bryan Station focuses on education and patriotism by participating every year in the Junior American Citizens and American History Essay Contests. Mrs. Marjorie Bastin chaired the JAC committee for over twenty years, encouraging students to participate and evaluating the students’ entries. Students of members Linda Bickel Dahn and Donna Thompson Durbin entered the Junior American Citizens contest for many years and earned local, state, regional, and national awards. Currently, Mrs. Durbin chairs the JAC Committee and encourages students in local elementary, middle, and high schools to participate. Ms. Anne Taul currently is the chairman of the American History Committee and coordinates the American History Essay and the Christopher Columbus contests for the chapter.

We award a bronze ROTC Medal and a DAR Good Citizen Medal to Bryan Station High School students annually. In honor of former Regent Louise Wieman, a Leadership Award is also presented to a deserving student. Outstanding Cadet awards to both a U.S. Naval Sea Cadet and a Civil Air Patrol Cadet are awarded to area youths. The chapter recognizes student citizenship and character with the DAR Youth Citizenship Award, presented to several area schools each spring. One of our members was recently honored by Fayette County Schools. Ms. Beth Randolph, principal of SCAPA Bluegrass, was awarded the National History Teacher of the Year.

Bryan Station Chapter has participated faithfully for a number of years in the naturalization ceremonies held at the Federal Courthouse in Lexington. Currently, Past-Regent Georgia Clemons delivers a patriotic welcoming speech, while member June Farris presents American flags to all new citizens.

Our chapter led a flag raising ceremony at The Oaks Condominiums when a new flagpole was erected. The flag raised that day was carried in an aircraft flown by member LT Laura Combs that flew over Afghanistan (2014.) We participated in the retirement of American flags at the fire station on Clearwater Drive, Lexington. Three SAR chapters and the State Flag Chairman also attended.

Bryan Station Chapter has supported veterans, veteran hospitals, and active military personnel throughout the years with gift boxes and funds. We were a Commemorative Partner with the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War. Mrs. Heather French Henry was recognized March 2015, Women's History Month for her work and dedication to veterans, one of her goals being to identify female veterans. Several chapter members assisted in the opening ceremony at the Kentucky Horse Park for the traveling Vietnam Wall in July 2015.

Member Norma Noe and her husband, Bob, were recognized at a reception at the KSDAR dinner for historical preservation for the donation of their entire collection of Kentucky made furniture and artifacts. Those are now on display in a special Kentucky Wing of the Speed Museum in Louisville, KY. Member Jo Ellen Wilhoite wrote an interactive children's book named Safari Safety. Several members have been recognized by the Kentucky Society and NSDAR Heritage Committee for their watercolor, weaving, pencil drawings, and paintings. We are blessed to have these artists: Emily Utter, Susan Tucker, Carol Bailey, and Margee Koffler as Bryan Station daughters.

We donate money annually to summer camps and scholarships for American Indians and Hindman Settlement School, a NSDAR school here in Kentucky. We promote research through donations of books and other media to the KSDAR John Fox Library in Paris, Kentucky, and the NSDAR Research Library in Washington, D. C. We participate in service projects: collecting sewing materials for the women's prison so they can make dolls for children in the hospital. We collect used, dried tea to send to Boston for the Boston Tea Party reenactment. Member Annabel Moorman lives and teaches in the Boston area and she participates with her students in the event. During the 2020 pandemic, member Mrs. Sandy Shafer coordinated a massive mask sewing project in our area.

Bryan Station Chapter is proud to have Mrs. Ann Todd, a Certified American Lineage specialist, in our membership. Mrs. Todd has worked professionally since 1988 and taught a class on “Genealogy for the Novice” at Lexington Community College. She has led genealogy workshops for chapter members, assisted nearly four hundred women in their quest to join DAR, and it is because of her diligent efforts our chapter continues to grow and prosper. We currently have over 150 members.

**Appreciation to Mrs. Louise Wieman, Donna Durbin and Carol Bailey past regents of Bryan Station Chapter for much of the information contained in this history

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