DAR rings bell for Constitution Day

WASHINGTON — The Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution — a nationwide nonprofit that promotes patriotism and civic education — held a brief bell-ringing ceremony on city property Tuesday, Sept. 17, in celebration of Constitution Day.

The holiday commemorates the day that, in 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the nation’s guiding legal document in Philadelphia, over a decade after the country declared its independence from Great Britain.

“Back in colonial days, in the beginning of our country, how they got people together was to ring the bell,” said Barbara James, regent of Washington’s DAR chapter. “They would call people together to read important announcements because they didn’t have TV, they didn’t have radios … In 1787, they called people together for the first time to read our constitution, and most of them heard the preamble.”

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Mayor Millie Youngquist, also a member of the Washington DAR chapter, rang the old fire station bell outside of city hall, using the mayor’s gavel. The gathered members then read the Constitution’s preamble aloud, in unison, before talking among themselves, and dispersing.

It’s the first time Washington’s DAR Chapter has held such an event in years, joining other branches across the country who ring their own bells throughout the day. Asked what brought the celebration back in 2024, James said the group simply “thought it was time.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com