Notable Projects
Monumental Challenge
In January 2022, the chapter began a preservation effort at Silent Camp in Morris Hill Cemetery. We met with Boise Parks and Recreation to plan a simple monument cleaning. Once work began, we saw a larger need. Many veteran headstones required deep cleaning, biological treatment, and re-leveling. What started small became a long-term commitment.
We expanded the effort to include more than 2,000 memorials across Silent Camp and Field of Honor 1 and 2. From 2022 through 2024, we completed over 15 service days. Volunteers from the chapter, Boise Parks and Recreation, Fort Boise Chapter Sons of the American Revolution, Idaho Civil War Volunteers, schools, churches, and local media gave time and labor. Together, we restored dignity to a site rich with military history.
Students and adults worked side by side. Volunteers honored each veteran. Young people learned service, respect, and civic duty through action.
As we cleaned, we uncovered another need. Many veterans rested in unmarked graves. Some had never received federal memorials. We began detailed research to secure Veterans Administration (VA) headstones and markers. We used state archives, Fold3, Ancestry, FamilySearch, and local newspapers to prove service records. Once approved, the VA provided memorials at no cost.
Three Phases. All Completed.
Phase 1. 2023. Silent Camp
We secured and placed 17 VA marble headstones. Seven honored unknown soldiers from Old Fort Boise. Boise Parks and Recreation handled placement with help from community volunteers. The City of Boise covered installation materials. We dedicated the memorials on May 13, 2023.
Phase 2. 2024. Silent Camp and Field of Honor 2
We completed 24 additional VA memorials. This included three marble headstones and 21 bronze markers. Fort Boise Chapter Sons of the American Revolution and Idaho Combat Wounded Veterans Military Order of the Purple Heart funded 10 installations. Boise Valley Monument Co. installed all markers at no charge. We dedicated these memorials on October 12, 2024.
Phase 3. 2025. Field of Honor 1
We completed research and secured approval for 40 unmarked veterans. The VA provided new marble headstones. Boise Valley Monument Co. installed them. Idaho Combat Wounded Veterans Military Order of the Purple Heart funded 10 installations. Additional partners helped complete the final phase. In 2025, we finished our work to honor every known veteran in this section.
Pocket Constitutions
Fifth graders in Boise and Meridian receive their first exposure to DAR's favorite founding document; the United States Constitution. Their studies, however, do not include the opportunity to read the Constitution in depth, nor do they include instruction on how to care and display our beautiful American Flag. In celebration of Constitution Week and our commitment to promote civic education, this project's goal is to make Constitution resources available to teachers at no cost. From this website, teachers will be able to order pocket Constitution copies and flag pins.
Government Island Monument — Rotary Pocket Park
In 1932, Pioneer Chapter, NSDAR, placed this Idaho-shaped stone, along with a companion stone placed by the Sons and Daughters of Idaho Pioneers. Each commemorated Government Island, an important stop along the Oregon Trail and a place where the Army built a fort in the early history of the Boise Valley. Eighty-plus years later, the valley has grown up around our monument, but not in a way that allows the stone to tell its story. Thanks to the efforts of three local Rotary chapters, our monument is now the centerpiece of the new Rotary "Pocket Park" right along the Boise Greenbelt. Right along the Boise River and just under the Trellis Bridge, Pioneer Chapter, NSDAR, is thrilled to have partnered with our local Rotary Clubs to make this important gift to the City of Boise!
DAR Historical Marker — Basque Block
On March 23, 2022, Pioneer Chapter, NSDAR, unveiled, with the help of the NSDAR President General, a DAR historical marker honoring visionary Boisean Adelia Garro Simplot. A fourth-generation Idahoan of Basque heritage, Simplot recognized the need to preserve the Basque heritage and history in Boise by preserving these historic buildings. She purchased the Cyrus Jacobs/Uberuaga House in 1983 and with her husband, Richard R. Simplot, made the payments for the first three years before donating the house to the Basque Cultural Center of Idaho, Inc. The Cyrus Jacobs/Uberuaga House, built in 1864, is the oldest surviving brick residence in Boise City. Simplot then further led conservation efforts with the formation of the non-profit group, the Basque Cultural Center of Idaho, Inc., later renamed Basque Museum & Cultural Center, Inc., to promote Basque history and culture. She is a treasure and we were honored to celebrate her this way!