Westchester County Historical Society Procures DAR Historic Preservation Grant

Elmsford, NY… The Westchester County Historical Society (WCHS) hosted a 250th Anniversary Tea on Saturday, January 31, at the Westchester County Records Center in Elmsford, NY. The event showcased the Society’s unique Revolutionary War–era resources, including newly launched online collections that will enable researchers and residents to explore this pivotal period in U.S. history.

Members of the Polly Cooper Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), along with DAR members from the White Plains and Mohegan Chapters, attended as guests of WCHS. Programming highlighted the newly digitized collection of The Westchester Historian, Westchester County’s quarterly publication. The digitized issues contain dozens of articles focused on the colonial period and the Revolutionary War in Westchester County. This important preservation effort was made possible through a Preservation Grant from the Polly Cooper Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Kim McCrea, Polly Cooper Chapter Historian and Historic Preservation Chairperson, thanked Barbara Davis for her leadership and coordination of the event and praised the WCHS staff, expressing, “ Barbara, Patrick, and Monica—thank you for the extraordinary efforts that made this project a reality.”

Honorary Regent Rosemarie Schmidt said she was “thrilled to see this important part of our county’s history preserved for future generations to access and enjoy. In 2024, my Executive Board members and I encouraged the Westchester County Historical Society to submit an application for this incredible project, particularly meaningful as we approach America 250! In May 2025, we were pleased to announce that a grant had been awarded.”

The DAR Historic Preservation Grants program provides financial assistance for projects that preserve historic records, objects, and sites. Eligible projects include the restoration of historic buildings and the digitization or preservation of documents. Grants are awarded in amounts up to $10,000, and smaller projects are encouraged.

Several State and County legislators including State Senators Shelly Mayer and Andrea Stewart-Cousins, were joined by Congressman George Latimer, and Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins. Each spoke about the importance of recording, preserving, and acknowledging our country’s history, and of making our county’s history accessible to younger generations through formats that are engaging and relevant to them.

The program included highlights from the Westchester Historian Collection, as well as excerpts from Experiencing the Neutral Ground of the American Revolution: The McDonald Interviews, an online collection of firsthand accounts of Westchester residents who experienced the war. These collections and other primary and secondary sources related to this significant period in Westchester’s history are easily accessed through a new section on the WCHS website.

To learn more about the Polly Cooper Chapter’s activities or inquire about membership, please email info@pollycooperdar.org. The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), a non-profit, non-political women’s service organization, was founded in 1890 to preserve the memory and spirit of those who contributed to securing American independence. With approximately 190,000 members in 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the largest and most active volunteer service organizations. To learn more about the work of Today's DAR, visit dar.org.
Now is a perfect time to discover whether you have an American Revolutionary War Patriot in your family—as the United States approaches its Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding.