In the Potawatomi language, midewin (pronounced Mih-Day-win) means “the healing grasses.” Fields of grasses and prairies were in abundance when the American Indians inhabited the prairie.
Our chapter is one of over 100 Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) chapters in the state of Illinois.
The DAR is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women's service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America's future through better education.
The Midewin Prairie Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, was organized on November 16, 1996, with fifteen charter members. We are located in the area adjacent to the nation's designated “tall grass prairie.”
A bill to create the Midewin National Tall Grass Prairie was signed by President Bill Clinton on February 10, 1996. This action transferred almost 19,000 acres of land formally controlled by the Joliet Arsenal to the United States Forest Service.
The name Midewin Prairie was chosen because plans called for the restoration of this land (thus healed) to conditions similar to those present in the early 1800s.
Although a young chapter, the Midewin Prairie Chapter has always supported the National Society objectives: to promote historical preservation, education, and patriotism. Chapter members are true to our national motto: God, Home, and Country.
Regent | Stacy Plese |
Vice Regent | Roberta Neumann |
Chaplain | Sharon Willson |
Recording Secretary | Ellen Silkey |
Treasurer | Ellen Silkey |
Registrar | Rebecca Sipple |
Historian/Librarian | Barb Rossi |
Member Serving the National Society | |
VAVS Advisory Committee Deputy Representative | Sharon Martin Willson |
Midewin Prairie Chapter continues to focus on service to veterans. Our members are on advisory and support committees for the Manteno Veterans Home.
Meetings are usually held the second Saturday of the month.
Please contact us for additional meeting information.
February | AMERICAN INDIANS Lumbee Indians of NC Presented by Stacy Plese |
March | NSDAR / AMERICANISM Leadership and Teamwork Presented by State Regent, Christina Bannon |
April | NSDAR / WOMEN First President General Presented by Barb Rossi and Ellen Silkey |
May | NSDAR / NATIONAL DEFENSE Wreath Laying at ALNC |
Balliet, Leonard
Beck, George
Bugh, Peter
Cody, Joseph
Crandall, Peter
Garrison, Richard
Henry, John
Koons, Nicholas
McConkey, Daniel
Moore, John
Ogilvie, Kimbrough Tinsley
Pratt, Samuel
Quigley, Isaac
Riddle, James
Roll, Isaac
Sherer, John Jacob
Simpson, William
Smith, Frederick
Stebbins, Abner Sr.
Swift, John
Toney, Jesse
VanCleave, William
Walker, Gabriel
Waugh, Joseph