DAR Logo
      


Spinning Wheel Chapter, NSDAR
Marshalltown, Iowa


Home Join DAR Membership in DAR Chapter Meetings Patriot Ancestors Contact Us Iowa Society DAR National Society DAR


Welcome to Spinning Wheel Chapter, NSDAR

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR or DAR) is a non-profit, non-political, volunteer women's service organization.

The Spinning Wheel Chapter, NSDAR, was chartered December 20, 1898, and the Marshalltown Chapter, NSDAR, was chartered February 3, 1903. The two chapters merged on March 6, 1964, as Spinning Wheel Chapter, NSDAR.

The chapter first selected the name "Dorothy Quincy" as the name, but when it was submitted, we were informed there was already a chapter by that name. The husband of Mrs. Elizabeth Root Spears suggested "Spinning Wheel" and it was unanimously adopted, simply because the chapter liked it. The spinning wheel was a common hand or foot-driven tool in the colonial era which helped spin yarn or thread.

Marshalltown, Iowa, where the chapter resides, was so named because it was nearest the center of Marshall County, and said county was named Marshall in the year 1849 in honor of John Marshall, fourth Chief Justice of the United States.

First Marshall County Courthouse

Marietta, located approximately five miles northwest of Marshalltown, became the first county seat of Marshall County in 1851. After several elections and court battles, Marshall (now Marshalltown) became the county seat and on December 31, 1859, and the records from the courthouse in Marietta were brought to Marshalltown. The old courthouse in Marietta was later moved to Marshalltown and served as a store and residence. The Spinning Wheel Chapter, NSDAR, marked the old courthouse site on June 14, 1976, with an inscribed bronze plaque mounted on a native stone. The marker is located in the south segment of Timmons Grove County Park located on State Highway 330, approximately two miles south of Albion.

Site of First Log Cabin in Marshalltown

In 1851, Henry Anson built the first log cabin home in Marshall - now known as Marshalltown. Anson was active in the effort of getting the county seat moved from Marietta to Marshall. A bronze plate, on the wall between the Shallmar Restaurant and a jewelry store, marks the site where the old log cabin once stood. The marker is located in Marshall County at 112 West Main Street in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Glick Memorial: American Legion Building

Frank Lewis Glick, the son of a Marshalltown businessman, was killed at Belleau Woods, France, in World War I. As a memorial, the American Legion building in Marshalltown was named in his honor. The Spinning Wheel Chapter, NSDAR, placed a bronze tablet with an engraved inscription inside the American Legion building on May 18, 1929.

Log Cabin Honoring Pioneers

The William C. Ruddick log cabin was built around 1856. The Spinning Wheel Chapter, NSDAR, selected the cabin as a symbol honoring the pioneers who came to Marshall County. The site was marked June 8, 1996. The cabin and marker are approximately 15 miles northwest of Marshalltown.

Directions:
  • From Marshalltown, drive west on either Summit Street or West Main Street to State Highway 330.
  • Turn right on State Highway 330.
  • Drive north to County Road E-29.
  • Turn left (west) and drive about four and a half miles.
  • Turn right (north) on County Road S-52.
  • Drive another four miles to County Road E-23.
  • Turn right onto a gravel road and drive east less than a mile to Mormon Ridge Road.
The Ruddick log cabin is in the southeast intersection.

The content contained herein does not necessarily represent the position of the NSDAR.
Hyperlinks to other sites are not the responsibility of the NSDAR, the state organizations, or individual DAR chapters.


Last Updated 13 November 2023
Contact Webmaster
VIS Approval
Connect with the National Society
facebook  twitter  youtube