Barbara Butcher receives Community Service Award

AVOCA - Barbara Butcher was honored with a Community Service Award during the Newtown-Avoca Historical Society meeting held November 3, 2026, at the Sweet Vale of Avoca Museum.
Peggy Gaul, Myrna McGrath and Karen Hansen, members of the Council Bluffs Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), attended the meeting to present the award to Butcher in recognition of her efforts to honor a Civil War veteran buried in Avoca.
Butcher received the award for researching the history of Civil War veteran Joseph Porter and securing a government-issued gravestone for him through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Porter is buried in Graceland Cemetery in Avoca.
The Atlantic contingent of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War organized a dedication ceremony for Porter’s gravestone on June 26, 2022. Several organizations and groups contributed to the ceremony honoring his service and ensuring his grave was properly marked.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is a women’s service organization whose membership is open to women who can trace their ancestry to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War.
Founded in 1890, DAR has grown to include more than 185,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters throughout the United States and internationally. Since its founding, more than one million women have joined the organization.
DAR members contribute millions of hours of volunteer service each year to communities across the country and around the world. Through local chapter projects, members support historic preservation, education and patriotism.