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Date: 12/26/2023
NORTHAMPTON — After major upgrades to their historic house on 148 South St. in Northampton, the Betty Allen Chapter DAR, or Daughters of the American Revolution, is ready to be seen and heard in the community more than they already have.
“I think that this is time for us to wake up after COVID and open up our hearts and our house to the members of our community,” said Denise Gosselin, the Betty Allen chapter regent, or president. “And that community is far and wide and includes people that are in need.”
The Betty Allen chapter — which is one of over 40 DAR chapters in Massachusetts alone — already serves the community through myriad initiatives, like working with nonprofits such as the Mary Lyons Foundation to collect items for newborns and providing food to the Northampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center, but they are now ready to host even more community events after major upgrades were done to their chapter house.
“The building is now in a condition that allows us to open it more and use it more. The heating is good, it’s well-insulated and the windows are safe,” Gosselin said. “They open in the bad weather so we can get fresh air. And it’s been done with an eye on conservation safety.”
The Betty Allen chapter is a nonprofit that covers all of Hampshire County, but their members extend beyond to other places in the region like Westfield and Deerfield. Like other chapters in the state, they support the community through the DAR’s three pillars of education, historic preservation and patriotism.
According to Donna Helm, a member of the Betty Allen chapter, the DAR enforces those pillars through initiatives like teaching younger students about the Constitution during Constitution week and awarding scholarships to high school seniors who were nominated by their school for their good citizenry.
“We do several things at the DAR, but education is a major component for us,” said Helm, who added that she and Gosselin taught 175 Belchertown students this past year about the Constitution.
Helm, a relatively new member, said she joined the DAR because she came across documents from her grandfather that showed her family’s lineage associated with the DAR.
“I retired, I was looking to fill a void, and this is a service organization, so I really wanted to participate,” Helm said.
The education aspect will always be important to the Betty Allen DAR, but their chapter house brings its own kind of aura to the community.
Built as a notable example of New England architecture known as Georgian Colonial, the South Street house is currently listed in both the national and state Registers of Historic Places with its classic furniture and carved stairway, which was copied from the pulpit staircase in King’s Chapel in Boston.
The property was a working farm occupied by many generations of the Clapp family before being purchased by Mabel and Karl Putnam, the latter of which was a famous architect whose most famous client was Calvin Coolidge.
The Betty Allen DAR chapter, which was formed in 1896, six years after the national DAR organization was founded, bought the home from the Putnams in 1926, and since then, the chapter has done everything in its power to preserve the historic landmark and open it to the community as much as possible.
The house includes a living room with a secretary desk belonging to the Strong family as well as a display case with items like china cups from an earlier time period; a hallway with a longcase clock made by English clockmaker John Seymour; a dining room with multiple pieces of china from England plus chairs made by the great-grandson of Betty Allen; and a meeting room which includes a fireplace with bread baking oven.
According to Gosselin, it is rare for DAR chapters to have a central house like this one, which is a major reason why some members choose to join their chapter.
“Some members have chosen specifically to be a part of Betty Allen because they want to be a part of the historic preservation of the house,” Gosselin said.
Like any old house though, this one needed renovation, which is something the chapter focused on over the past year.
Renovations included replacement of windows, the doorknob and tube wiring. They also added lights in the meeting room as well as insulation to add more comfortability to the home. According to Gosselin, these additions and renovations have provided a relative warmth and brightness that was not there prior.
“The city of Northampton recently granted us with a historic preservation grant of over $61,000 to renovate this house, and they said, ‘we look forward to you being a larger part of the community,’” Gosselin said. “And so, we are.”
The renovation and ongoing historical preservation of the house is now allowing the Betty Allen DAR to expand their reach and gear up for a slate of upcoming events that they plan on hosting, like a pancake breakfast on Feb. 25 called “Flipping Flapjacks.” Beyond that, they have also hosted outdoor activities to increase their visibility, like a recent Veteran’s Day and bell-ringing ceremonies out on the lawn.
They also continue honor people in the community for certain acts of service.
“I think it is because of the renovations that we accomplished this year that you’re going to be hearing and seeing more of us, because we can accommodate more people inside the house as well as outside,” Gosselin said.
With the house renovated, the Betty Allen DAR is prepping for its 250th anniversary of the Revolution celebration at the Quabbin Park Cemetery in May where they are partnering with the Friends of Quabbin and the Sons of the American Revolution to place 41 markers on the graves of Revolutionary War patriots. A plaque will also be placed at the cemetery.
“We want to bring attention to the extensive history that was in that area and invite families of the people that are in turn there to come back and to give some appreciation and show appreciation for the history,” Gosselin said. “It’s going to be an afternoon of celebrations and appreciation for the individuals who fought to form this nation.”
The Betty Allen chapter is part of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution a nonprofit women’s service organization that encompasses over 3,000 chapters and 185,000 members in the United States and abroad. Their members include those who can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War. These ancestors can be soldiers, doctors or anyone else who aided the fight in some way.
The Betty Allen chapter has members ranging from ages 18 and 90 and they are always welcoming new ones. Gosselin said they are hoping to offer a genealogy workshop within the next couple months for those interested in simply learning about their lineage, and she added that people are welcome to reach out to her with any questions about that: bettyallen1753@gmail.com.
Readers can follow updates on the Betty Allen chapter by following their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BettyAllenChapterDAR.