Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-12-13
KOUSSIN0C Chap TER or D, ar.
OBSERVES 18TH ANNIVERSARY

Most fitting exercises marked the
| D. A. r., at the meeting which was held
Tuesday afternoon at the home of Mrs.
Blaine S.. Viles, 20 Melville street. The
hostesses were Mrs. w. II. Fisher and
Mrs. Viles.
y feature of the afternoons program
was the reading by Miss Alice S. Rey-
nclds OF the history of the chapter
since it's founding. The paper was ar
! ranged by Miss Marion j.. Brown, aided
| b Miss Helen Fuller and Mrs. Nellie
|. :. Philbrick.
koussinoc Chapter History
Koussinoc chapter, D. A. r., of
Augusta is bound to the city whose
ancient name it bears, by more than
the ordinary ties Of location. In the
year 1897, when Augusta celebrated
| it's centennial anniversary after hav-
ing completed hundred years
| Of bic hist tory, Koussinoc
! chapter was founded and began it's
triumphant march beside the mother
| city just entering upon it's second
| century. 1t seemed most fitting and
proper that the new chapter should
! adopt and thus perpetuate the Indian
name, "Koussinoc, the place of
sarced rites beside the ripping wa
| tcrs-given to the spot where Au-
gusta now stands, to mark the con-
trast between the placid current of
the river at this point with the tur-
bulent Ticonic Falls few miles fur
Their up at Waterville. The most
earnest desire of Koussinoc chapter
i. was realized during this, it's silver
anniversary year. when it became
the possessor Of a permanent home
III Old Fort Western through the
generosity of loyal son of Augusta
| who made the gift in memory of his
, mother.
Koussinoc chapter was organized
Dec. II. 1897, by Mrs. Helen Frye
White of Lewiston, then State regent,
and the first meeting was held at the
home of Mrs. Emma Huntington Ma
son on Green street, There were IL
charter members: Mrs. Amelia
Wright Bangs, Miss Helen Williams
Fuller, Mrs. Susan Crane Beale, Mrs.
Kimball Fisher, Mrs. Georgiana
Davenport Hartshorn, Miss Alice
Mayo Huntington, Miss Mary Went
worth Huntington. Mrs. Malinda
Shaw kimball, Mrs. Persis Bodwell
Martin, Mrs. Emma Huntington Ma
son and Mrs. Florence Allen Whitney.
The first papers sent to Washing
ton for approval were those Of Mrs.
Susan Crane Beale which were for
warded in November. 1896. A chap
ter had been established in Gardiner
| q little less than a year before the
| founding of the KousSinoc, and Mrs.
Nora Grant Rice of Gardiner chapter
! was much interested and took an ac-
| tive part in the steps toward the
| establishment of the Augusta chap
| ter. Koussinoc chapter is the sixth
in Maine in point of age. The first
chapter was founded in Portland in
| 1894 and the second in Lewiston in
| 1895; then followed Gardiner, Bidde-
ford. Bangor and Augusta.
! Miss Helen Fuller was chosen as
| the first regent of Koussinoc chapter
and the other officers were: vice re-
| gent, Mrs. Amelia Bangs: secretary,
Miss Alice NJ. Huntington; treasurer.
Mrs. Susan Beale: registrar, Mrs.
| Florence Whitney; historian, Mrs.
Emma Huntington Mason. The
name, "Koussinoc," was selected by
Miss Fuller and was given a hearty
approval by the charter members and
by the State regent.
The plan of the annual program as
adopted by the chapter in its early
days has not changed materially
since then. Meetings were held eacl,
month and the chapter observed Flag
Day in June with an outing. and its
annual party, or social afternoon
as it was then called, in February as
it does now. One leading feature OF
each meeting was a paper written
by each member, giving the story OF
some outstanding event in Revolu-
tionary history. The early programs
were not at first printed but were
hand written as they easily could be
while the chapter was still small in
| numbers.
The bylaws We're first put into
printed form in 1900, being small
pamphlet. There have been several
revisions since then to meet the
chapters growth and to conform to
National regulations.
The chapter was at first only So
cial club composed of women some
of whose ancestors were Revolution
airy soldiers and it's activities were
purely social. After it had become
firmly established and had built up
its membership. the chapter began
to turn its attention to the marking
OF historic spots. Its first work Of