The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (NSCDA/PA), headquartered in Philadelphia, is an organization of women which actively promotes an appreciation of America's national heritage through preservation, service, and educational projects. The PA Dames are part of a national network of 44 Corporate Societies, with a national headquarters at Dumbarton House in Washington, D.C.  PA membership is about 450 women across the state, with National membership at approximately 15,000 women.

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The NSCDA/PA has worked to “preserve and maintain Stenton as an historic object lesson” since 1899. Today, Stenton administers the award winning History Hunters Youth Reporter Program, which serves over 3,500 underserved Philadelphia schoolchildren each year. Additionally, Stenton’s Colonial Revival Garden was the founding site for the Garden Club of America in 1913, and the site was honored as the winner of the Garden Club of America’s Founders Fund Award in June, 2015.  

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The NSCDA/PA also supports Woodville, outside of Pittsburgh, and provides support for projects relating to community engagement, as well as educational initiatives, including National History Day Philadelphia.

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​Members of the PA Dames meet at our headquarters on Latimer Street in Philadelphia. We also have two very active County Committees represented in the Lancaster/Dauphin/York and Allegheny County Committees.​​​

 

The Colonial Dames was founded as a lineage society in 1891, right here in  Philadelphia. We take heart knowing that the women who founded our organization did so at a time when they did NOT have the right to vote and their voices were often marginalized. Organizations like ours—formed through connections to ancestors—was a way for women to amplify their own voices.

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All members join the NSCDA/PA through a qualifying ancestor who contributed a service to the colonies before July 4, 1776. We know our strength moving forward requires us to increase our membership base and to find ways to be more inclusive. One way we believe this is possible is through an expanded list of qualifying ancestors. This takes research. More ancestors mean more descendants. This has led us to evaluate and explore the meaning of what “service to the colony” includes. There were many ways Pennsylvanians contributed to our colony before the American Revolution, as our list of eligibility characteristics reflects. Not only do we have members who descend from Ben Franklin, we also now have members who descend from industrious German farmers. Our colony was founded by William Penn as a place of religious freedom, who deeply instilled his Quaker beliefs. We believe our qualifying ancestors should reflect these values.

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We are also proud of our contribution to the National  250 by 250: Founding Female Initiative. One of our proudest moments was when we added Dinah of Stenton, to our list of qualifying ancestors.