El Dorado received the first Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) marker in Kansas as part of the celebration leading up to the Nation’s Semiquicentennial or 250th anniversary in 2026. The marker was dedicated during a celebration Sunday, May 30, in El Dorado, held by the Kansas Society Daughters of the American Revolution (KSDAR) and the Susannah French Putney Chapter of DAR.
The DAR America 250 Our Patriots Marker commemorates the Revolutionary War Patriots at the Butler County Freedom Memorial at the Butler County Courthouse and was placed on the base of the Miss Liberty statute.
“The Butler County Freedom Memorial is a fitting home to our state’s first DAR America 250 Our Patriots marker,” said KSDAR State Regent Susan Metzger. “Through a variety of moving and historic plaques and statues, this memorial pays homage to the men and women who have served our nation since its founding. KSDAR is proud that this DAR marker will now be a part of this memorial.”
Bill Mason, representing the Celebration of Freedom Committee, received an award recognizing the committee’s part in creating the Freedom Memorial and continuing to maintain it. Also recognized during the ceremony was Boy Scout Gabriel Hamel, whose Eagle Scout project will be added to the back side of the statue. Hamel received the DAR Citizenship Award. The statute was originally placed by the Boy Scouts in 1950.
The National DAR’s goal is to place at least one marker in each state before America’s 250th anniversary celebration. El Dorado’s is the seventh in the nation to be placed.