Chillicothe and Ross County — The Daughters of the American Revolution were part of an open house at the renovated armory in Yoctangee Park last weekend, highlighting Revolutionary War veterans’ graves, Camp Sherman, and Wreaths Across America.
In lieu of a local “America 250” event on their typical second Saturday, the Nathaniel Massie Chapter of the DAR filled three spaces in the “Open House and Resource Fair” on the ground floor of reopened Memorial Armory during the park ribbon cutting on Friday, November 6th, 2026.
Other spaces were filled by the Ross County Health District, Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre / “Tecumseh!” outdoor drama, Ross County Historical Society (see upcoming separate story), Downtown Chillicothe Inc., Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library, and the “Safety Action Plan” of the City of Chillicothe.
DAR regent Terressa Reep said the mayor’s office asked the DAR to be part of the resource fair. (A summer flyer from the DAR listed an event at the armory on November 14th, but Reep told me that the armory open house served as the monthly “America 250 Ross County” event.)
The final 2026 local America 250 event will be “Future Ohio,” planned for the Ross County Courthouse on December 12th. “America 250 Ross County” has a Facebook page.
DAR member Judy Climer said she is a researcher and Camp Sherman historian, and she showed results of both in the armory.
Climer said she has a Revolutionary War patriot who lived in Ross County, but who was buried in Virginia. She said she looked into all the “Rev War” veterans buried in the county, and four years ago she knew of 194 – but now she has 325.
Her county map had pins showing all the cemeteries that she had visited, and she had a spreadsheet in a binder with all the facts known about each veteran.
Climer said DAR members join her to clean some of those burial markers, and that she teaches 4-H groups how to do it too. (The Ross County Historical Society has also offered workshops.)
Climer also pointed out that her husband is the captain of the Scioto Valley Honor Guard, and has an interest in Camp Sherman. She showed his color-coded map of the 1917-1918 army training camp, and two original panoramic photos.
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park also contributed to commemorating Camp Sherman with presentations on Wednesday and Saturday about the World War I camp that ultimately led to the reconstruction of the Mound City earthworks and establishment of the national park.
The Nathaniel Massie Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution also had information about their role in “Wreaths Across America.”
Monica Dorman, the local and state DAR chair for Wreaths Across America, explained the history of the effort and the local chapter’s work. She said the DAR in Ohio has been helping since 2017, to place a wreath at the grave of every veteran of all wars.
Dorman said they will placing wreaths in Greenlawn Cemetery at noon on December 19th, and work to fulfill Connie Meyer’s goal for 2026 of almost 3,000 wreaths to celebrate “America 250.”
She said other efforts will decorate the other two cemeteries in Chillicothe, Grandview and St Margaret’s. Dorman said anyone can be part of Wreaths Across America, such as a 4-H club at Springbank Cemetery in northern Union Township – it is an easy project, at only $17 for each wreath.
The Nathaniel Massie Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution has a public Facebook page, as well as a participant page on “Wreaths Across America.”
Search the Scioto Post for past events by the Daughters of the American Revolution, “America 250,” and “Wreaths Across America.”
Watch the first batch of videos on the park ribbon cutting in my first companion story, and the second batch in the next story.
