Kansas DAR - The Kansas Chapel

The Kansas Chapel

Over thirty DAR State Societies maintain a state or period room at National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. These rooms are managed by the Curator General. The Kansas Room began as early as 1936, as a committee room, in the basement of the Administration Building.

After the room was relocated to the third floor in 1947, it became a prayer room for the Chaplain General, and also served as a storage area for annual Memorial Service items. Roberta Cooke Kilbourne (1959-1962) chose as her State Regent's Project the refurbishing of the Kansas Room, and Beulah Van Sant Chesney was appointed chairman.

On a visit to the Topeka Chapter, Mrs. Kilbourn first saw the beautiful chapel at the Central Congregational Church in Topeka, called the Sargent Chapel. The church was the chapter's regular meeting location. Mary Carswell Lempeneau commented that a reduced-scale replica would make a beautiful room, and she was assigned the task of exploring the feasibility of converting the Kansas Room to such a haven.

The cost was estimated at $8,500 and by March 1961, all but $1,100 had been either donated or pledged. As plans progressed, additional funds were needed, but by the time the Chapel was completed and dedicated, on Palm Sunday, 1962, it was debt-free.

The sunflower windows, brilliant images of the Kansas state flower, were assembled from twelve stained glass panels removed during the 1967 remodeling of the Carnegie Library in Wichita. They were dedicated at the 76th Continental Congress on April 22, 1967. The windows were installed at the back of the chapel.

A vespers meditation hour was begun from 4:00 to 5:00 each afternoon during Continental Congress, and Kansas Daughters were present to greet those who attended. The NSDAR Executive Board often met in the Chapel before sessions, and employees frequently began their workday there, with a time of quiet and reflection.

As the years passed, and space demands at National increased, the area surrounding the Kansas Chapel was pressed into duty, and it became apparent that a new location was needed.

In 2003, the Kansas Chapel was relocated to an area of the building called the Stone Hall, and it was placed under the management of the Chaplain General, with direction from the Kansas Society. The photos below show the newly-arranged Chapel, as it appeared in October 2003.

The Chapel from the balcony

From the balcony above, the Chapel
offers a peaceful oasis.

The marble staircase

Access on one side of the Chapel is
from these imposing marble steps.

Altar from the staircase

Approaching the altar, gifts from many
Kansas Daughters come into view.

The new design of the Kansas Chapel has the striking
sunflower windows on either side of the altar.

At the rear of the Chapel is a doorway leading out
into another area of the Headquarters buildings.

Entering from doorway

Entering from this doorway, the first view is of
the altar, banked by the back-lit sunflower windows.

In its new location, the Kansas Chapel
is infinitely more accessible, and offers
a lovely place for meditation and prayer.

Kansas Sunflower