Regent Lauri Darwin pins Spartanburg resident Kimberly Branch as the newest member of the DAR Battle of Cowpens chapter. Photo courtesy of Kimberly Branch.
It took many years, many no-decisions, and anger over a local issue to finally make happen.
But when Spartanburg resident Kimberly Branch recently joined Daughters of the American Revolution, she not only became their newest member, but might be the only one in the organization’s 136-year history to join partly by accident.
Branch was formally inducted on Sept. 3 into the Battle of Cowpens chapter, and her long-awaited achievement was even more special as it coincided with the group’s 132nd anniversary meeting.
“And she is going to hit the ground running right away by chairing a couple of our committees,” said new regent/president Lauri Darwin, who will serve as chapter leader through May 2028. “We currently have about 130 members, and it’s up to each chapter as to how many are initiated each year. But we are very excited to have Kimberly as a new member.”
But for Branch, joining DAR is more than just a long overdue delay: it comes on the heels of the long-standing clock tower issue that ultimately forced her to see that she should have been with the group all along.
The tower was dismantled in November 2025 to make way for a redesigned, West-Main streetscape plan at Morgan Square and surrounding developments.
Branch was a leading opponent of the initial action before agreeing with city leaders for the Tower’s rebuilding in a new location.
“I reached out to ask DAR if they could get involved with helping preserve the clock tower,” Branch said. “Nothing came of that, but the former regent leader got in touch and invited me to come to the next DAR lunch. I then went to four meetings as a guest, as a prospective member. I had thought about joining before, but for one reason or another never did.”
Once the clock tower issue was settled, however, Branch had passed the point of no return with DAR: she was now all in.
“I felt like the mission of trying to save the clock tower shook something in my spirit to honor my war ancestors,” she explained. “Something just started pulling at me in this way – and once the tower effort was underway, I wanted to follow through with becoming a part of DAR.”
Part of that effort of course involved her genealogy: Only women who are lineal descendants of patriots who fought in the American Revolutionary War are allowed to become DAR members.
Tracing Branch’s descendancy was the easy part, as DAR confirmation arrived almost in a photo finish with approval of her application.
Along the way, Branch made an interesting discovery pre-dating the 1781 Battle of Cowpens.
“One of my ancestors Nathan Byars, owned land on what is now the Cowpens Battlefield, and he is buried there,” she said.
The only left was to show up at the anniversary meeting and be sworn in as part of an organization begun in 1890 and now numbering 190,000 in global membership. And when the clock tower is rebuilt and unveiled, Branch will likely have as many DAR members as possible on hand to see it finished.
“Their kindness, encouragement, and unwavering dedication to preserving American history made me realize that what I should have done many years ago was something I needed to do now,” she said. "Looking back, I truly believe this mission led me exactly where I was meant to be.”
