CENTENNIAL CHAPTER
DAUGHTERS OF AMERICAN PIONEERS
PARKERSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA
History of Daughters of American Pioneers
On October 3, 4 and 5, 1899, there was celebrated in Parkersburg, the 100th anniversary of Wood County, West Virginia. The activities were many parades, with floats of the different organizations, laying of the cornerstones of our present Court House, pageant and tableau, including an extensive display of historical relics and antiques.
As a result of the interest aroused in the display, the idea of a historical society was started and culminated through the efforts of Alvaro Gibbens and his wife, Mrs. Mary Barr Warfield Gibbens, the Daughters of American Pioneers became organized.
Its first National officers were Mrs. Mary Barr Warfield Gibbens, President General; Mrs. Libbie Neal Butcher, Vice President General; Mrs. Sarah E. Taylor, Vice President General; Mrs. Anna M. Shrewsbury, Corresponding Secretary General; Mrs. Josephone Straus Treasurer General; and Honorable Alvaro F. Gibbens, Historian General.
Since its founding it has been active in preserving and keeping alive, interest in our American Heritage.
Compiled by Chalmers B. Gibbens, Honorary Member
AIMS AND PURPOSES:
To perpetuate the memory and virtues of the men and women who dared the perils and deprivations of pioneer life in the Colonies and States of the American Union; to search out and record in enduring shape their names, worth and achievements; to mark suitable local points, memorable and historic, by tablets or monuments. To collect and preserve in public museums or other depositories, documents, herilooms, and relics of pioneers. To publish from time to time, such articles, volumes and papers as best perpetuates and record the facts, valor, customs and personal worth of ancestors. To promote the celebration of all notable and patriotic anniversaries, and to stimulate the study of local and American history and promote a closer sympathy among its members.