When DAR commemorated its fiftieth anniversary in 1940-1941, it marked the occasion by creating a collection of early American manuscripts and imprints. Prior to the DAR’s Golden Jubilee, historical collections were stored within various departments at DAR Headquarters. With a proper home and an active collecting policy, the Americana Collection flourished. After 75 years, more than 4,000 accessions of American imprints and manuscripts compose the collection. The focus of the collection is on Colonial America, the Revolutionary War era, and the Early Republic, but the breadth of the collection spans five centuries.
The DAR treasury includes diaries and letters; military papers; government papers; birth, baptismal and marriage records; autographs; newspapers; maps; legal and court records; and music.
Originally housed with the Americana Collection, the NSDAR Archives was recognized as a separate collection beginning in the early 1980s. This collection serves as the repository for NSDAR records which are no longer administratively useful but which have sufficient historical or other value to warrant their continued preservation. The collection contains correspondence, meeting minutes, project files, objects, and photographs.
Today both the American Collection and the NSDAR Archives are overseen by the DAR Department of Archives and History. The treasures in these collections are used for research, exhibits, and outreach initiatives.
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