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CHAPTER HISTORY
The Spirit of '76 chapter is the oldest and largest
Louisiana chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American
Revolution. The very first meeting of the Spirit of '76 chapter was held
at the old Howard Library at Lee Circle in New Orleans on April 1, 1895.
The chapter was officially organized on May 2, 1895 and was granted it's charter
on June 11th of that same year. The Spirit of '76 chapter formed just five
years after the National Society was granted it's charter by Congress.
When chartered, the chapter had only 18 members lead by Regent Mrs. J.M.
Ferguson. The chapter has boasted more than 300 members, a number that
they are quickly approaching again after loosing many members to the aftermath
of Hurricane Katrina.
EFFECTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA ON OUR CHAPTER
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina targeted the New
Orleans area. The destruction was unprecedented in so many ways. Not
only was Hurricane Katrina at one point a Category 5 storm, she was also one of
the largest major storms to come on shore in the United States. Her wind
field was so large that she left behind many miles of destruction throughout
Southeast Louisiana, Southern Mississippi, and Coastal Alabama. Although
expected and prepared for, flooding due to storm surge was compounded by
flooding caused by the unexpected collapse of several levees that surrounded the
City of New Orleans. Approximately 80% of New Orleans was inundated with
flood water causing most homes to have at least a few inches of water inside,
and in some cases water over the roof. Because much of New Orleans is
below sea level, it took many weeks for all of the water to be pumped out of the
city and for the residents to begin to return.
The four homes pictured on this page each belong to a
member of the Spirit of '76 chapter.
Most members of the Spirit of '76 chapter experienced the
flooding first hand. Many of those who did not flood had wind damage.
No one was untouched by the storm. Those whose homes were safe and sound
took in friends and family whose homes had been destroyed. Many members
whose homes were destroyed were unable to return to the city for a year or more
following the storm.
The first four chapter meetings of the year had to be
cancelled due to facility damage and displaced membership. The Spirit of
'76 chapter was able to hold it's first meeting after the Storm on January 6,
2006. It was a bitter sweet event as members reconnected telling tales of
hasty evacuations, rescues, and frustrations over the job of putting their lives
back together while enjoying the normalcy of once again participating in DAR.
The Spirit of '76 chapter lost several of it's elderly
members following the storm. Some claim the stress associated with the
recovery process claimed many victims among the elderly and infirmed of New
Orleans in the months following the storm.
LOST RECORDS
One of the tragedies suffered by the Spirit of '76 chapter
during Hurricane Katrina was the loss of many historical and all the
genealogical records for our chapter. Over 100 years of records were lost
when the home of our Registrar which was elevated three feet off the ground was
inundated with seven feet of flood waters, while
rain water poured down through her damaged roof. The chapter sincerely
thanks the National Society of the DAR (NSDAR) and the Louisiana Society of the
DAR (LSDAR) for their support as we put these records back together.
WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW
The Spirit of '76 chapter recognizes it's role in the
recovery process of New Orleans and is planning projects to aid in that process.
The chapter began the process by donating American flags to schools that were
damaged and by supporting the military personnel stationed in New Orleans, as
well as the New Orleans veterans.
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Spirit
of '76 Chapter
Spirit
of '76 Chapter