National Society
Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR)

South Carolina Society
Daughters of the American Revolution

Kate Barry Chapter, NSDAR

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Join the DAR to make a Difference…

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) is a nonprofit, nonpolitical volunteer service organization composed of women with a common purpose of serving their communities through education, historic preservation, and patriotism.

Kate Barry Chapter, NSDAR, members are lineal descendants of men and women who gave their lives and fortunes to establish the United States during the American Revolutionary War.

As a volunteer women's service organization, we are dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education, patriotism and honoring the Patriots of the American Revolutionary War.

If you are interested in learning more about our membership, please contact us here. If you need assistance in tracing your lineage, please contact our Chapter Registrar for assistance!

All photos provided by chapter members.

About the Kate Barry Chapter, NSDAR

The Kate Barry Chapter, NSDAR, was chartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on October 1, 1901.

Who was Kate Barry?

Margaret Catherine "Kate" Moore was born in 1752, and she married Andrew Barry in 1767 at the age of fifteen. The two settled in Spartanburg County across the Tyger River, about two miles from Walnut Grove. Kate Barry was an excellent horsewoman, and she was very familiar with the wilderness and Indian trails around her plantation.

When the American Revolutionary War began in 1776, Kate volunteered for the cause as a scout for Patriot bands in the area. Her scouting operations were carried out mostly in the portion of Spartanburg County drained by the three Tyger Rivers. Her husband, Andrew, her brother, Thomas Moore, and several brothers-in-law were members of the Patriot forces. It was not unusual for Kate to mount her horse, ride to the Patriots' encampment, and warn her husband and the troops of impending danger. In the winter of 1781, Kate acted as a voluntary scout for Daniel Morgan, and she gathered Patriot bands to send to him. Her husband, Andrew, was a soldier under the command of General Pickens in the victorious Battle of Cowpens. For her efforts to increase the number of American Patriots at the Battle of Cowpens, Kate Barry earned her reputation as the “Heroine of the Battle of Cowpens.”

The name of Kate Barry is surrounded by a tradition of other heroic deeds. In one of these stories, Kate heard Tory soldiers coming across the Tyger River near her father's house. She tied her two-year-old daughter, Catherine, to the bedpost, and rode to her husband's unit for help. In another story, the Tories (Americans who supported the British) came to her house and demanded information about the whereabouts of her husband and his troops. When she refused to give them this information, the Tories tied her up and whipped her three times with a leash. In another incident, Kate Barry barely escaped her Tory enemies as she swam her horse across the rising waters of the Pacolet River to safety.

Today, the spirit of Kate Barry lives on at her restored plantation home, Walnut Grove. Her patriotic spirit christens the members of the NSDAR in Spartanburg County, as we perpetuate our American heritage with pride and honor.

If you have any questions, please contact us!