COLONIAL DAMES PRESERV E T H E PAST
History’s Future X XOF Guardians
ANNE GORE
fondly recalls
descriptions of her
great-grandmother,
Florence Hill
Kidder, founder of
the National Society
of the Colonial
Dames of America
in the State of
North Carolina in
1894.
In a culture
dominated by men,
Kidder was “a lady
way ahead of her
time,” Gore says.
“She was quite a
mover and shaker
of historic preserva-tion,
community
B y
M a r y M a r g a r e t M c E a c h e r n
Above: The Burgwin-Wright House, headquarters of the National Society of the Colonial Dames
of America in the State of North Carolina, in a 1938 photo. Right: Caitlin Simpson, a staff
member and tour guide at the house, wears a reproduction of a 1760s era dress and accessories
that would have been worn by an upper class woman. The dress she is laying on the bed is a
1770s-era reproduction.
involvement and
one of North
Carolina’s primary
suffragists at the time.”
Gore and her great-grandmother epitomize the Colonial Dames
membership and mission.
The national organization, the NSCDA, was founded in 1891 to
promote the country’s heritage through historic preservation, patri-otic
service and educational projects. Membership is restricted to
“women who are lineal bloodline descendants from an ancestor of
worthy life who, residing in an American colony, rendered efficient
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service to our coun-try
during the
Colonial period,”
the organization’s
website states.
The North
Carolina chapter is
one of 44 autono-mous
state societies
that comprise the
national society.
The NSCDA,
headquartered in
Washington, D.C.,
fosters appreciation
for the people, places
and events leading
up to the formation
and development of
our nation, keeping
history alive and
vibrant and passing
it on to the next
generation.
Gore’s maternal grandmother, Martha Patterson Kidder, followed
Florence Kidder’s lead, serving as the second president of the North
Carolina Society. Gore’s mother, Martha Patterson “Pat” Kidder
Crittenden, was also passionate about the society and its missions
and served on the board. Crittenden bequeathed this firmly rooted
love of history to Gore, who regularly works at the Burgwin-Wright
House, the circa 1770 Colonial mansion in downtown Wilmington
that serves as the chapter’s headquarters.
COURTESY OF BURGWIN-WRIGHT HOUSE
PHOTO BY ALLISON POTTER