DAR Headquarters
Due to its elegance and resemblance to the White House, many popular TV
shows, movies, and documentaries have been filmed at the DAR's
headquarters Memorial Continental Hall in Washington, D.C. The interior
and exterior of Memorial Continental Hall have often been used as a
stand-in for the real thing. Veep
may have shown its final episode in May 2019, but DVDs of its episodes
(and other TV shows) are still popular. Do you remember the dramatic
opening scene of National Treasure?
Filmed in front of our building in 2004. The West Wing, a popular political
drama in the early 2000s, filmed parts of many episodes at the DAR site.
Are you a fan of the TV show Jeopardy? Several of its special tournaments are filmed each year at the DAR's Constitution Hall. Several episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? have been filmed in the DAR Library. Just like actors Rob Lowe, Bill Paxton and Scott Foley, you too can visit DAR's library to do genealogy research.
The next time you re-watch National Treasurer, Parks and Recreation, The West Wing, and even the movie Salt starring Angelina Jolie, look closely to see our DAR headquarters in its 'starring' role.
Madonna of the Trail Monuments
There are 12 Madonna of the Trail monuments dedicated to the spirit of pioneer women. The monuments, commissioned by the DAR, are located in each of the 12 states along the National Old Trails Road, extending from Cumberland, Maryland, to Upland, California. They were dedicated in 1928 and 1929.
Sculptor August Leimbach of St. Louis, Missouri. created the design.
He
described his work:
"The idea I had when I modeled the design was this: The pioneer mother
with her children was waiting for the father at her blockhouse in the
wild West, for the father did not come home as he had promised. She,
believing him in danger, put her little child in a blanket, grasped the
gun and with the boy ran out in the field to look for the father."
"The gun is sketched from the gun of Daniel Boone, with his carvings on
the shaft". "On the ground is prairie grass and cactus brushes, also
arrow heads, and on one side in the shadows is a rattlesnake partly
covered by grass".
"The bust is of an uncle of mine whose grandfather came over to this
country from Germany and landed at a spot in Ohio where there were 6 to
8 houses. This place today is called Cleveland".
"When a school boy in the old country, the American history of the
pioneer days made an impression on me. I often thought of those who had
left the old home and all that was dear to them and had come to this
country to find a field for their ambition. When I came to America I
often saw these pioneer types, strong and brave and always prepared to
protect themselves against any danger. Asked to make a sketch model of
a monument of a woman of pioneer days, I was inspired by my own
impression of these people I had met, and the Madonna of the Trail is
the result".
The monuments are about 18 feet (5.5 m) high. The monument shown is
located in Vandalia, Illinois.
Bronze Eagle Lectern
Members of the nonpartisan Inaugural
Committee spotted DAR's bronze eagle lectern during a visit to DAR
headquarters in 2005. They thought it would be perfect to use at the
Presidential Inauguration luncheon, held following the oath of office
ceremony. We agreed, and our cherished lectern was seen during the
luncheon for President George W. Bush in 2005, President Barack Obama
in 2009, and 2013, and President Donald W. Trump in 2017.
The lectern was presented to the DAR by the now-disbanded Rhode Island
Flintlock and Powder Horn Chapter in 1905, as a pledge of "loyalty to
the organization, and in the interest of purity, patriotism and peace."
When asked why they would have to borrow a lectern from outside of the
United States Capitol Building when it is so historic and elegant in
its own right, the Inaugural Committee replied that, surprisingly, the
Capitol does not have as nice a lectern as the DAR and they are so
pleased to borrow our eagle lectern which better fits the importance of
the occasion than the less attractive lecterns they had to use in the
past.
THE CONTENT CONTAINED HEREIN DOES NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE
POSITION OF THE NSDAR. HYPERLINKS TO OTHER SITES ARE NOT THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE NSDAR, THE STATE ORGANIZATIONS, OR INDIVIDUAL DAR
CHAPTERS. UNLESS NOTED, IMAGES ON THIS SITE ARE LICENSED UNDER CC
ATTRIBUTION LICENSE. CONTACT WEBMASTER.
Last updated March 4, 2024.