OCALA, FL (352today.com) – They’ve had a presence in the area for a century.

The Ocala Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution was recognized by both the Ocala City Council and the Marion County Board of County Commissioners for their contributions to the community on Feb. 18. March was declared NSDAR Month as the chapter prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

“It’s quite an honor,” said Renee Coventry, Ocala Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution regent. “We were chartered, and we specifically focus on historic preservation, education, or patriotism. Any woman who has a vision of what she would like to do in her community can find that through the Daughters of the American Revolution because we’re not just a lineage society. We’re actually a service organization that enjoys reaching out.”

The organization boasts a long history, leaving an indelible imprint on Marion County and the City of Ocala through numerous initiatives.

“Our ladies in Ocala were instrumental, we met at the Ocala Golf Course, and were wrapping bandages during World War II, so there’s a long history there,” said Coventry. “We were protesting the treatment of the prisoners to the Hanoi government through letters. We’ve done a lot in the community. Most recently, we started collecting the oral history of our U.S. veterans through the Veterans’ History Project. We’ve already submitted over 30 0t those to the Library of Congress.”

History, heritage, and a commitment to legacy keep the Ocala Chapter of DAR engaged in multiple projects, demonstrating the impact women have had in the community.

“We have quite a few historic preservation initiatives that are taking place, just recently back in November, we donated our first flag of the chapter to the Marion County Museum of History and Archeology,” said Coventry. “And that is the flag that we received, as a token of appreciation from our then state regent Mrs. Theodore Strong, when her initiative was all about historic property. When we saw the value of the cemetery plot at Fort King, we went ahead and purchased that, and what makes that property so special to us, is that back in 1925, women weren’t allowed to own property, when we purchased that we actually as the chapter had to incorporate our chapter, so only the chapter’s name would be on it, or else we would have had to have put a man’s name on the title.”

The organization’s impact includes watershed moments that helped women achieve equal rights, ensuring their place in history as the nation matured.

“To know that our ladies were some of the very first to vote in the presidential election after suffrage, after that amendment was passed,” said Coventry. “When you look back through all the old minutes, you’ll find, they’re never referred to by their first name. They are always referred to as their husband’s names.”

Education and ensuring future generations understand history and the sacrifices made have been key priorities for the Ocala Chapter of the DAR.

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“In the past two years, under my administration, we’ve published an activity booklet for kids for the Marion County Museum of History and Archaeology and we’ve also published one for the Ocala Marion County Veterans Memorial Park,” said Coventry. “When kids visit, they have something tangible that they can work through that shows the history of Marion County as well as the war history and our contributions to the American war effort.”

Progress, patience, determination and vision have propelled the organization forward. Their influence extends beyond Marion County, as the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution has reached other milestones.

“So, those are some very important things that we have been able to accomplish, and of course we continue to evolve,” said Coventry. “You don’t start an organization in 1890 and not have to evolve along the way, but we’re just as vital today as we were back then, and of course regarding the national society, an interesting piece of information is that our property in Washington, D.C. Continental Hall, it’s the largest piece of property owned solely by women.”

Changes in society are reflected in the organization’s policies, highlighting women’s evolving roles in the community.

“When you look back at the 40 and the 50s, we would give homemaker scholarships, we would give some money to the girl who could sew the best dress. Now we’re giving out college scholarships locally. We do it at the local level and, of course, our state offers scholarships as does our national society – and those go to the boys and girls, irrespective. We’ve been able to broaden the horizon and the influence of women in general.”

Celebrating a century of impact, the Ocala Chapter of the DAR has events planned for next month.

“We’re really excited that we’re going to be able to bring in with the American Battlefield Trust, ‘The Revolutionary War Experience,’ March 17-21, and that’s going to be held at Christ the King Anglican from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day,” said Coventry. “It’s going to be free and open to the public. We want the public to come. We want them to get through and to see the decisions that people of the day were having to make, as to where they were going to stand – whether on the Loyalist side or the Patriots’ side, so we’re really excited to bring that to the Ocala community. for our 100th.”

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