Butler County was formed out of Logan and Ohio Counties in 1810. Butler County was named for General Richard Butler, Revolutionary War Soldier.   The first courthouse, which was located on two acres donated by Christopher Funkhouser, burned and was rebuilt in 1872.   That courthouse was torn down in December of 1973 and the present building was built in 1974-75.  The Dedication of this structure was October 5, 1975.  It was modified a few years ago by increasing the 2nd floor space.  The Civil War Monument is dedicated to the soldiers of both the North and South.  It carries the names of the persons who died during the war and the ones who were living when the monument was dedicated in 1903.   It is said there is only one other monument like ours that is dedicated to both the North and South.  The Courthouse is very much the focal point of our community.  The DAR and other groups utilize the beautiful setting overlooking Morgantown to stage most of our patriotic events.

DON J. JENKINS

Recipient of the

Congressional Medal of Honor

Sgt. Don J. Jenkins was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his many acts of heroism in service to his country during the Viet Nam War.  Don is a native and life long resident of Butler County.

2006 Veterans of the Year

2006 - Veterans of the Year honored by the Green River Chapter include six (6) World War II Veterans.  Our veterans were Mr. Denzil Embry,  Mr. James Flowers,  Mr. Cooper McCoy,  Mr. Sam Givens,  Mr. Otis Kessinger, and Mr. Elmer Embry, who has since passed away.  As a part of our patriotic endeavor we honored our veterans at a reception held after the Veterans Day Parade.  We presented them with brass plaques and Smith Funeral Home gave them large framed collages of World War II with their photographs inserted in the picture. Our Veteran Committee delivered fruit baskets to them at home before Christmas.  We also took gifts to the veterans and veteran widows at the local nursing home, 18 in all. We asked all of our members to send Christmas cards to our six veterans during the holidays.

 2007 Veterans of the Year

2007 - Veterans of the Year honored by the Green River Chapter again included World War II Veterans.  We chose seven (7) to honor this year.  Our veterans were Mr. James Ezra Rogers, Mr. Glendon Eugene Warren, Mr. Leonard Thomas Porter, Mr. Thomas Lige Jackson, Mr. Lenn James Smith, Mr. Forrest Stovall and Mr. Julian Moore.  Again, we held a reception after the Veterans Day Parade and presented them with brass plaques and Smith Funeral Home gave them large framed prints with their photographs inserted in the picture.

We invited the State Veteran's Chairman, Marjorie Shelton, and Capt. Helen Evans, 2007 National Vice-Chairman of the Veteran's Oral History project, as our guests.  Each brought greetings from the KSDAR and Miss Evans spoke on the importance of the Oral History project.  They rode in the veterans parade.

Doloris McKinney, Veteran Committee Chairman, and her committee, Mary Elder, Sheila Hunt, and Christine Coleman, delivered fruit baskets to our honorees at their homes before Christmas.  They also took gifts to the 19 veterans and widows at the local nursing home.  We asked all of our members to send Christmas cards to our seven new honorees, the 2006 honorees, and the widow of the one who is now deceased.

During the 2007 Memorial Day program on the Courthouse Lawn, the Green River Chapter was asked to take the lead and chair the program.  We coordinated the program in cooperation with the Butler County Chapter and all of the local veterans' organizations.  We sent personal invitations to our 2006 honorees and prepared the invitations for all other honorees that had been named for all of the other organizations. We had a huge crowd for the ceremony. 

Chapter History & Recent Highlights

Green River Chapter NSDAR makes history

By Christine Porter Coleman

On Saturday, October 7, 2006, at the hour of 9:00 a.m., people from far and near came to celebrate the organization and founding of the new Green River Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, of Aberdeen, KY. Eighty-seven women became organizing members of the new chapter. The commons area of Butler County High School was the staging area.

Christine Porter Coleman had petitioned the National Society to become Organizing Regent for the new chapter and was appointed for that purpose on April 7, 2006.

At the June 26 meeting of the National Board of Management, the name "Green River Chapter" was approved but they could not use nor publish the name until the confirmation day on October 7.

Following several months of recruitment, Saturday, October 7, was the day appointed by the National Society for the confirmation to take place. During the meeting and surrounded by happy members and friends, Mrs. Coleman placed a call to Glenna Acord in the Organizing Secretary General’s Office of the National Society for the purpose of finding out if the National Board of Management had confirmed the chapter. After the news was given that the Green River Chapter had been confirmed, the officers were sworn in by Claire H. Long, Honorary State Regent from Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

At that same time Mrs. Long gave the history of the organization entitled, "The DAR Story."  She also gave a very informative talk about the DAR Insignia, what it represented, how to wear it, and its importance to a DAR member.

Other chapter members participating in the program included Mary Elder, Chaplain, who gave the invocation and benediction; Melanie Hunt, Flag Chairman, who led the pledge of allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America; Lynda Knight, Recording Secretary, led the American’s Creed; Maxine Minton, Registrar, read the names of the 87 members; and Vickie Stovall, First Vice Regent, read the history of the Green River that she and her husband Mike Stovall had written for the purpose of submission to the National Society along with the petition to name the chapter.

Mr. Michael Elmore, BCHS Principal, welcomed the new chapter and guests and offered his assistance throughout the day. He gave an update of the progress being made at BCHS under his watch.

A color guard was provided by the JROTC of Butler County High School.

The newly formed Green River Chapter Chorus was directed and accompanied on piano by Betty Brown, Chorus Director. They performed "The Star Spangled Banner," "Heal Our Land," and "Song for the Nations."

Following the introduction of local dignitaries, DAR members from around Kentucky, friends, and guests, Regent Coleman thanked everyone in attendance, especially the officers and members of the Green River Chapter.

Alice Warner, of Greenbelt, Maryland, attending college in Cleveland, Ohio, drove all night to get there and the Hatfield sisters, Elaine Powell and Susan Green, drove from Orlando, Florida, and Alpharetta, Georgia, to be present for this very historic moment.

Coleman especially thanked Maxine Minton, Registrar, for all of her hard work in completing the genealogy and application papers necessary for members to be verified and approved. Mr. Hurdel Minton presented a check for $100.00 as a donation to the new chapter in honor of his wife Maxine Minton.

A memorial tribute was set up on the speaker’s table to honor prospective member Mrs. Opal Amos, who had just passed away. She was the sister of Mr. Hurdel Minton.

Following adjournment, Regent Coleman invited everyone present to remain and enjoy the brunch that had been provided by the chapter members.

The Green River Chapter NSDAR is still recruiting charter members and you may call toll free 888-526-4604 or 800-441-4786. Membership is open to any woman 18 and over who can prove lineal descent from a patriot or soldier who served in the American Revolution. The three main objectives of the National Society are to promote education, historic preservation and patriotism. The NSDAR motto is God, Home, and Country.

On December 9, four additional members were verified and approved for membership in the Green River Chapter, making a total of 91.

                                                                     

                The History of Green River Chapter

                                            Written by Mike & Vickie Stovall

At the time of the American Revolutionary War, the Green River was a fresh, pristine waterway to the west. Within three years an act of the Virginia General Assembly would reserve all of the land between the Green and the Tennessee Rivers for their officers and soldiers of the Virginia Line or Continental and State Armies. Just as the Green River led our ancestors into a new beginning, we would like the name to lead our new DAR Chapter in a new beginning.

The river that was a highway for our ancestors serves as a highway for us and always will be a highway for our future generations. So, too, we hope this chapter established on the patriotism of our grandfathers will be here for children of our future.

Butler County is uniquely situated on the Green River because it is divided almost equally in half. The larger communities in Butler County were all situated on the river: Rochester, Woodbury, Reedyville, Logansport, Mining City, Morgantown, and of course, Aberdeen.

Green River arises from a spring on land near Hall’s Gap in Lincoln County. According to the U. S. Corps of Engineers, it is the longest river to flow completely within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It flows westward, then northwesterly some 370 miles to empty into the Ohio River. During this run through thirty-one counties, the Green and its tributaries drain over 9,200 square miles of Kentucky, nearly one-fourth of the Commonwealth’s total area. As you see, it has touched many lives through those miles. When you look at our ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, they too have touched many lives.

There are basically three distinct but different lives of Green River. Just below the banks, farmlands, and riverbed is a labyrinth of caves and sinkholes. The beauty beneath in these caves is unparalleled with flora and fauna, sightless crayfish, troglobites, and rare endangered species like the gray bat. Mammoth Cave is one of the modern "wonders of the world" and the Green River is the lifeblood of this cave system.

Our ancestors are the lifeblood of our families. We are the lifeblood of our future and someday we will be another link in a family line that has reached back into time.

The second life of the river is the part we see, smell, and feel, with some being beneath its surface. The Green River is a colorful world of aquatic diversity. There are nearly 151 species of fish - more than in all of Europe - and 71 species of mussels. Green River is listed by the Nature Conservancy as the fourth most biologically diverse river in the world. We see our chapter as being composed of many people that are colorful and diverse hoping to preserve memories of our forefathers.

Finally, as we sit on the banks of Green River, we see that it meanders between mossy rock banks, tangles of sycamore, river birch, and box elders. Vines of the Virginia creeper hang close to the water, further deepening the green hue. Beautiful wild flowers, southern maidenhair fern, spreading foxglove, and Eggertt’s sunflower dot the riverbanks. It is ever changing just like the future of this chapter.

The river is full of stories to be told. Our ancestors have stories that we need to tell. These stories need to be protected for the future by the Green River DAR so they will always be there just like the Green River.

If you have any questions about how to join the DAR or the meetings of the

Green River Chapter please contact  Christine Coleman,Organizing Regent

                                                           or    Sandra H. Martin, Registrar

                                                                                      The DAR Insignia is the property of, and is copyrighted by, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
                                                                                      Web hyperlinks to non-DAR sites are not the responsibility of the NSDAR, the state organizations, or individual DAR chapters.