Poster commemorates special anniversary

SANDUSKY — Those representing the Martha Pitkin Chapter, National Society Daughters of the Revolution, recently announced the donation of a framed poster commemorating the 100th anniversary of the chapter to the Sandusky Library. This local chapter helps to perverse the national society organization's mission of promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism across the U.S. Among some highlights from the day in 1997: • The commemoration ceremony took place on June 6, 1997, at the Sandusky Yacht Club. • It was attended by centennial chapter officers and members as well as guests from the state organization, including state regent Mrs. James Woolslayer and neighboring chapters of Daughters of the Revolution. • The mistress of ceremonies was Mrs. Richard King, regent of Martha Pitkin. • The ceremony included a Community Service Award presented to Mona Rutger, founder of Back to the Wild. • Also honored were the annual chapter scholarship recipient and the winners of the 11 Good Citizenship Medals given to area middle school students. • The keynote speaker was David Zanotti of Ohio Freedom Forum. His topic was restoring traditional principles to American public policy. The framed poster honors the founders of Martha Pitkin Chapter and their leaders: Mrs. J.O. Moss, Mrs. Rush R. Sloane, Mrs. James Milne, Miss Mary Carswell Cooke, Mrs. I. Curtis Brewer and Mrs. I.F. Mack. The chapter is named after an ancestor of Mrs. Moss. Martha Pitkin was considered the grandmother and great-grandmother of the American Revolution. She was born in England in 1639, coming to the colonies as a young girl. She married Col. Simon Wolcott and reared a large family, all of whom became men and women of prominence in the early history of our country. In 1680, her husband died of wounds he received in the Indian Wars. Her second husband was the honorable Damiel Clark. No children were born to this marriage. Martha Pitkin died in 1719. One of Martha Pitkin's grandsons, Oliver Wolcott, was a member of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. "The members of Martha Pitkin Chapter, National Society Daughters of the Revolution, are honored that the Sandusky Library has accepted the gift of the chapter anniversary poster," according to an organizational statement. "The framed poster will complement earlier gifts to the library which include bronze plaques honoring patriots of the American Revolution that are buried in Erie County." The plaques are displayed in the library's lower-level archives room.