Guntersville, Alabama
Heroes of Kings Mountain Chapter
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
JOIN US TODAY!
ABOUT US
Chapter History
The Heroes of Kings Mountain Chapter is located in the heart of Marshall County, Alabama, on the shores of beautiful Lake Guntersville.
In a June 24, 1898, handwritten letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Leila Fearn Lusk, Mrs. Kate Duncan Smith, of the Alabama DAR Society, inquired of the progress toward starting a chapter in Guntersville, Alabama. Mrs. Lusk had joined the DAR as a part of the Twickenham Town chapter on October 4, 1911.
On October 10, 1914, Mrs. Lusk was appointed as the Organizing Regent to form a chapter in Guntersville along with her good friend Mrs. Abagail Moss Henry; however, the movement to establish a chapter ground to a halt due to the loss of prospective members through death and relocation, Mrs. Henry’s death, and World War I.
After the war, Mrs. Lusk and Mrs. Sarah Moss led the renewed effort to organize the chapter. Mrs. Lusk recruited potential members and also suggested Heroes of Kings Mountain as the name for the chapter. The unanimous chapter vote for the name reflected the members' agreement to honor many of their ancestors who fought in that famous battle.
On May 21, 1923, the Heroes of Kings Mountain Chapter was recognized by the National Society Organizing Secretary General. The Organizing Regent was Mrs. Sarah Moss, who became a member of the DAR on October 6, 1916.
The Charter members were Fannie H. Callan, Katherine Sanders Denning, Lulie Speer Harris Henderson (Treasurer), Leila Lee Lusk (Historian), Fannie Jobe McGuire, Adele Rose Moss (Corresponding/Recording Secretary), Sarah C. Sanders Moss (Regent), Julia Street Snead, Julia A. Street, Louisa Weiss Wyeth Todd (Registrar), Emma Gene Huff Webb, and Eva Baxter Harris Zettler (Vice Regent).
In 1919, at the 21st Alabama State Conference, the Society voted to establish a DAR school to be named for Mrs. Kate Duncan Smith. In March of that year, Mrs. Lusk along with the Marshall County Superintendent of Education, Mr. E. O. Creel, toured the Gunter Mountain area. Mrs. Lusk noted that the property overlooking Kennamer Cove was the “most ideal place in the State of the Alabama for the location of the school.” In October of 1922, Mr. Creel received notice that the new school would be located on that site. Before work could begin, the state society had to become a corporate body. The Alabama Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution was then incorporated on March 18, 1923.
In 1924, Mrs. Lusk, as chapter Regent, attended state conference and was elected State Historian. Additionally, she was granted permission to donate the first set of books to the new school. She also invited the Alabama Society to hold the 27th State Conference in Guntersville. The conference convened on March 11, 1925, and national officers, state officers, out-of-town members, and guests stayed in the homes of chapter members and their friends. The ladies journeyed up Gunter Mountain to view the new Kate Duncan Smith school and the student body.
Unfortunately, early chapter records were destroyed in a disastrous house fire in 1972. The information for this history is drawn from a chapter history published in the 1990’s and the book, “A Vision Come True: Gem of Gunter Mountain,” written and published by chapter member Joyce June Gayle Troup.
Our chapter salutes the dedication and persistence of the women who came before us as they made our community a better place to live and to fulfill the objectives of the National Society. We hope to strive to do the same for those who follow us.
Follow the links below for more information about our chapter: