Preserving History: Palm Beach DAR lunches with Newport Gilded Age preservationist

A preservationist of Gilded Age properties was the featured speaker at the February luncheon of the Palm Beach Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.

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The afternoon began with a short reception and remarks from chapter Regent Jill Davis, who announced that the membership of the Palm Beach chapter has continued to grow at an impressive rate in the past several years.

Vice Regent Mary Frances Walde also spoke, reporting that the May meeting would include a fashion show presented by Frances Valentine and emceed by co-founder Elyce Arons, who was also co-founder of the Kate Spade fashion brand. Proceeds from the show will be donated to Homes for Our Troops, which is actively supported by the chapter.

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Lunch was followed by remarks from guest speaker Trudy Coxe, CEO of the Preservation Society of Newport County in Rhode Island. Coxe told the crowd that before the Preservation Society was established in the 1940s, no fewer than 59 of Newport’s architectural gems were destroyed by development or acts of nature. Since then, the society has acquired 11 historically and architecturally significant properties, which it restores, maintains, and protects.

The restoration and preservation of its properties are so authentic that the HBO series "The Gilded Age" used many of the marbled masterpieces' exteriors and interiors for filming.

At the end of the presentation, Davis presented Coxe with a $1,000 donation to further its mission.

More than 60 people attended.

Founded in 1890, the Daughters of the American Revolution comprises women of diverse ages and backgrounds whose common bond is proven lineage to a patriot who fought in the American Revolution. It is a non-political service organization dedicated to the preservation of American history and the promotion of patriotism.