The 125th Annual Meeting of The Colonial Dames of America was held in New York May 2-4, 2015. The weekend program of events began May 2 with the Executive Council Meeting at the Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium. Chapter presidents, delegates, members and Board of Managers members
Continue ReadingThe Colonial Dames of America is celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2015. Founded in New York in May 1890 by Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer, the CDA (or “Society”) is the oldest women’s lineage society focusing on the Colonial period. A new website, www.cda1890.org, was launched
Continue ReadingPages in Azure and Gold, a volume of letters originally published in 1915 on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Society, has been republished by CDA to commemorate its 125th Anniversary and to benefit The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden (MVHGM). The
Continue Reading"The Colonial Dames of America own and operate the museum, having purchased it in 1924 to use as their headquarters. Originating as a carriage house in 1799, the building later served as a country hotel, the Mount Vernon, and then had turns as a private
Continue ReadingFrom WAMU.ORG: "Laura Belman descends from not one, not two, but three signers of the Declaration of Independence: Samuel Chase of Maryland, Oliver Wolcott of Connecticut, and William Ellery of Rhode Island. And she knows exactly what you’re going to say. “You’re going to say, ‘How
Continue ReadingAlice Cooney Frelinghuysen, curator of American Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, was the guest speaker October 28, 2014 at the CDA’s annual Fall Fundraiser. Held at the Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium in New York City, the proceeds of the evening benefitted the
Continue ReadingPreserving History at Home and Abroad By Sharri Whiting de Masi, Chair, CDA Communications Committee From the The Social Register Observer: Since its founding in New York almost 125 years ago, The Colonial Dames of America has been distinctive for its international outreach, both in terms of
Continue ReadingThis year marks the 75th anniversary of The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, which was first opened to the public in 1939 to coincide with the New York World's Fair. In 1924 The Colonial Dames of America rescued the building (c. 1799) and site
Continue ReadingBy Brantley C. B. Knowles, CDA 2nd Vice-President General Museum luminary Dr. Helen C. Evans was the designated honoree at the October 2012 Colonial Dames of America (CDA) soiree which benefitted The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden (Museum). A former President General of the CDA,
Continue ReadingBy Sharon W Vaino, CDA President General From The Social Register Observer: “One of the country’s most exclusive organizations, The Colonial Dames of America, held its annual luncheon meeting here yesterday …” wrote New York Times reporter Judy Klemesrud in the family/style section of that paper
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